Running Up That Hill
by Icethroat21
Summary: Ever since the war, everyone has honored Ivypool for her bravery...perhaps too much. Many cats argue over becoming her mate, much to her dismay, especially since she doesn't want a mate. But is she going to have a choice? So many cats keep bothering her... Just how long can she take this? Can she reestablish her emotional stability, or will death be her only answer?
1. Allegiances and Prologue

**Running Up That Hill**

**Ever since the war, everyone has honored Ivypool for her bravery as a spy in the Dark Forest…perhaps too much. Many cats argue over becoming Ivypool's mate, much to Ivypool's dismay. After all, Ivypool doesn't want a mate. But is she going to have a choice? So many cats keep bothering her…how long can she take this? She can take care of herself, that's for certain, but that's only physically. Can she reestablish her emotional stability, or will all of these cats tear her apart to the point where death is the only answer?**

* * *

**Allegiances**

**ThunderClan**

**Leader: ****Bramblestar—**dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Deputy: ****Squirrelflight—**dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

**Medicine Cats: ****Leafpool—**light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Jayfeather—**gray tabby tom with blue eyes, formerly blind

**Warriors: ****Brackenfur—**golden brown tabby tom

**Cloudtail—**long-haired white tom with blue eyes

**Brightheart—**white she-cat with ginger patches

**Thornclaw—**golden brown tabby tom

**Sorreltail—**tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with amber eyes

**Spiderleg—**long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

**Birchfall—**light brown tabby tom

**Apprentice, Lilypaw**

**Whitewing—**white she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice, Amberpaw**

**Berrynose—**cream-colored tom

**Apprentice, Snowpaw**

**Mousewhisker—**gray-and-white tom

**Apprentice, Dewpaw**

**Hazeltail—**small gray-and-white she-cat

**Poppyfrost—**tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentice, Seedpaw**

**Lionblaze—**golden tabby tom with amber eyes

**Foxleap—**reddish tabby tom

**Toadstep—**black-and-white tom

**Rosepetal—**dark cream she-cat

**Briarlight—**dark brown she-cat

**Blossomfall—**tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

**Bumblestripe—**very pale gray tom with black stripes

**Dovewing—**pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Ivypool—**silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Cherryfrost—**ginger she-cat

**Moleheart—**brown-and-cream tom

**Apprentices: ****Lilypaw—**dark brown tabby she-cat with white patches

**Seedpaw—**very pale ginger she-cat

**Amberpaw—**gray she-cat with white paws, white muzzle, a white right ear, and amber eyes

**Dewpaw—**gray tom with amber eyes

**Snowpaw—**white tom with amber eyes

**Queens: ****Cinderheart—**gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes, expecting Lionblaze's kits

**Icecloud—**white she-cat with blue eyes, expecting Mousewhisker's kits

**Daisy—**cream long-furred she-cat from the horseplace

**Elders: ****Purdy—**plump brown tabby tom with a gray muzzle, former loner

**Graystripe—**long-haired gray tom

**Dustpelt—**dark brown tabby tom

**Sandstorm—**pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

**ShadowClan**

**Leader: ****Blackstar—**large white tom with jet-black paws

**Deputy: ****Applefur—**mottled brown she-cat

**Apprentice, Dewpaw**

**Medicine Cat: ****Littlecloud—**very small tabby tom

**Warriors: ****Crowfrost—**black-and-white tom

**Ratscar—**brown tom with long scar across his back

**Snowbird—**pure-white she-cat

**Tawnypelt—**tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Kinkfur—**tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

**Ivytail—**black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat

**Owlclaw—**light brown tabby tom

**Apprentice, Sparrowpaw**

**Shrewfoot—**gray she-cat with black feet

**Apprentice, Mistpaw**

**Scorchfur—**dark gray tom

**Tigerheart—**dark brown tabby tom

**Ferretclaw—**cream-and-gray tom

**Starlingwing—**ginger tom

**Pinenose—**black she-cat

**Stoatfur—**skinny ginger tom with green eyes

**Fowlfeather—**black-and-ginger she-cat with amber eyes

**Apprentices: ****Sparrowpaw—**large brown tabby tom

**Dewpaw—**pale gray she-cat

**Mistpaw—**spiky-furred pale gray she-cat

**Queens: ****Olivenose—**tortoiseshell she-cat, expecting Owlclaw's kits

**Dawnpelt—**cream-colored she-cat, expecting Scorchfur's kits

**Elders: ****Whitewater—**white she-cat with long fur, blind in one eye

**Oakfur—**small brown tom

**Smokefoot—**black tom

**Toadfoot—**dark brown tom

**WindClan**

**Leader: ****Onestar—**brown tabby tom

**Deputy: ****Ashfoot—**gray she-cat

**Medicine Cat: ****Kestrelflight—**mottled gray tom

**Warriors: ****Weaselfur—**ginger tom with white paws

**Harespring—**brown-and-white tom

**Leaftail—**dark tabby tom with amber eyes

**Emberfoot—**gray tom with two dark paws

**Heathertail—**light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**Sedgewhisker—**light brown tabby she-cat

**Apprentice, Cliffpaw**

**Sunstrike—**tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

**Apprentice, Blackpaw**

**Whiskernose—**light brown tom

**Furzepelt—**gray-and-white she-cat

**Boulderfur—**large pale gray tom

**Apprentice, Buzzardpaw**

**Crouchleap—**light brown tom

**Larkstrike—**tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her head

**Apprentices: ****Blackpaw—**black she-cat with dark blue eyes

**Cliffpaw—**light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

**Buzzardpaw—**ginger tom with amber eyes

**Queens: ****Whitetail—**small white she-cat, expecting Onestar's kits

**Swallowtail—**dark gray she-cat**, **expecting Emberfoot's kits

**Elders: ****Crowfeather—**dark gray tom

**Owlwhisker—**light brown tabby tom

**Gorsetail—**very pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

**Webfoot—**dark gray tabby tom

**Tornear—**tabby tom

**RiverClan**

**Leader: ****Mistystar—**gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy: ****Petalfur—**gray-and-white she-cat

**Apprentice, Maplepaw**

**Medicine Cats: ****Mothwing—**dappled golden she-cat

**Willowshine—**gray tabby she-cat

**Apprentice, Dockpaw**

**Warriors: ****Duskfur—**brown tabby she-cat

**Mosspelt—**tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

**Minnowtail—**dark gray she-cat

**Pebblefoot—**mottled gray tom

**Mallownose—**light brown tabby tom

**Robinwing—**tortoiseshell-and-white tom

**Grasspelt—**light brown tom

**Apprentice, Thymepaw**

**Rushtail—**light brown tabby tom

**Troutstream—**pale gray tabby she-cat

**Hollowflight—**dark brown tabby tom

**Heronwing—**blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Grackletail—**black she-cat with a long tail and amber eyes

**Apprentices: ****Thymepaw—**light brown she-cat with green eyes

**Maplepaw—**tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes

**Dockpaw—**tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes

**Queens: ****Mossyfoot—**brown-and-white she-cat, expecting Rushtail's kits

**Elders: ****Reedwhisker—**black tom

**Graymist—**pale gray tabby she-cat

**Mintfur—**light gray tabby tom

**Icewing—**white she-cat with blue eyes

* * *

**Not much to say...they're allegiances... There were a couple or random apprentices in The Last Hope so I gave them each a sibling and made them warriors in this story because of the amount of time that has passed...that's all, really...**

**And now you can enjoy the prologue if you want to.**

* * *

**Prologue**

"The war is finally over," Bluestar meowed.

"Yes, it is," Yellowfang agreed.

"Finally," Cinderpelt meowed.

"But not without its casualties," Firestar reminded them. "Ferncloud, Mousefur, Hollyleaf…Spottedleaf…"

"Spottedleaf will be missed, but she did this for you, remember?" Bluestar meowed.

"She died to protect me…but then I died, anyway. What was her loss for?" Firestar fretted.

"Her loss was for peace. The peace that the Clans are about to enjoy," Yellowfang meowed.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." The four cats turned to see a black she-cat with green eyes padding up to them.

"Hollyleaf? Why are you here? This is a place for leaders, medicine cats, and deputies only," Yellowfang reminded her.

"I see danger," Hollyleaf replied.

"But you aren't…" Yellowfang began, but Cinderpelt shook her head to her former mentor. The younger dark gray she-cat stretched her legs, which were no longer crippled now that she was in StarClan.

"She is kin of the Three. Of course she can be here. Her destiny was not to have the stars in her paws down below, but perhaps now…perhaps now she has a stronger link with the stars than any of us," Cinderpelt meowed.

"We have the stars in our fur!" Yellowfang protested. "We are _StarClan_! How can she have…?"

"I think it's possible," Firestar meowed.

"Me too," Bluestar meowed.

Yellowfang sighed. "Very well, Hollyleaf. What is the danger that you see?" she asked.

Hollyleaf shifted her paws. "It is not a…_normal_ danger, let's say."

"For StarClan's sake, what is it?" Yellowfang snapped.

"Something horrifying," Hollyleaf replied. "Someone who worked so hard during the war is going to be repaid with such sorrow…it isn't fair…"

"Hollyleaf, where did you see this danger?" Cinderpelt asked curiously.

"I—I…in the pool," Hollyleaf stammered. "I know I wasn't supposed to be there, but I got lost, and there was no one around to help me, so I decided to look into the pool to see if there was anything to help me find my way."

"No one was with you? This is StarClan! We are together!" Yellowfang exclaimed.

"Most of her family are down below, still alive. She is practically a loner up here," Cinderpelt reminded Yellowfang softly.

"I'm not a loner! I'm a Clan cat again!" Hollyleaf snapped. "I just…"

"I'm sorry, I should not have added that last comment. But you are lonely up here, aren't you?" Cinderpelt asked.

"Y—yes," Hollyleaf replied slowly.

"Well, we're going to change that," Cinderpelt meowed, lightening up. "Come on. I'll show you around StarClan so you don't get lost."

"Really?" Hollyleaf lightened up. "Thanks, Cinderpelt!"

When the two she-cats were gone, Firestar, Bluestar, and Yellowfang all sighed.

"This danger she spoke of…what was it exactly?" Firestar asked.

"I think I know," Bluestar replied. "I thought I'd seen something, but I tried to shake it off…"

"What is it?" Yellowfang asked curiously. "There isn't a new prophecy already, is there?"

"No…it's nothing like that," Bluestar meowed, "but…no one deserves that much pain, and this is coming from me."

"Can we do anything to help?" Yellowfang asked.

"We can't keep cats from loving," Bluestar replied sadly. "So no, we can't."

"Loving? What exactly is this danger?" Firestar exclaimed.

"You'll find out soon enough," Bluestar replied. She shook her head and turned around. "I'm going to speak with Oakheart. Now that StarClan is one again I'm going to go see my mate."

"Of course," Yellowfang replied. She looked to Firestar after Bluestar left. "I guess we'll let time reveal itself."

"What if we don't have time?" Firestar fretted.

"I guess we don't have a choice," Yellowfang replied.

"Surely there's always a choice," Firestar argued. "You can…"

"Choices…" Yellowfang suddenly whispered. "I understand the danger that Bluestar spoke of."

"What is it then?" Firestar asked curiously.

"Just let me say that the poor choices of the future are going to tear apart our honored spy. Choices…they're just awful…" Yellowfang whispered, hanging her head.

Firestar left the she-cat to herself and padded over to the pool. He looked into the pool and jumped back in terror as soon as he looked. His fur began bristling and he arched his back.

"Great StarClan!" he exclaimed. "This…no…"

Firestar sat next to the pool, feeling defeated.

"No one deserves a fate like this…especially after all they've done for us…Oh, that poor cat!"

* * *

**And thus we conclude our prologue.**

**Well, I wrote this story a while back, so I'm honestly not that interested in it anymore, but maybe some of you will find it interesting.**

**If I'm not that interested in it anymore, then why the heck am I choosing to put it online now? I've already finished this story. I wrote in in Microsoft Word a while ago, but now I am putting it into Open Office. It's just one file in Word, but I'm transferring it to each chapter a file itself in Open Office.**

**By the way, this story takes place a few moons after the war. How many, exactly? I honestly can't remember...it's at least six, maybe seven or eight... I really can't remember, though.**

**Well, that's it for now. I'll probably upload the next chapter tomorrow. It's the first day of school tomorrow but parents have more homework than the students on the first day. Heh. Students usually don't have any homework, except for giving more paperwork to parents. :D**

**Well then, enough carrying on the extremely long AN. Herein lay the end of the allegiances and prologue.**

**~Icy**


	2. Chapter 01

**I got a lot more views and reviews than I expected. Wow. That's cool.**

**I didn't get a chance to proofread this chapter again tonight, but I proofread it last night, in addition to proofreading it a while back when I first wrote it, so hopefully the errors will be minimized if there are any. I'm going to do the best I can to proofread each chapter in addition to how many times I've already proofread it before I upload it here onto FF. Sorry I didn't get to it tonight, but in the past this was the chapter I proofread the most, so I think it should be okay.**

**And in case anyone was wondering why I didn't have much time even though it's only the first day of school, I didn't have much time _because_ it's the first day of school. So much paperwork...**

**I just want to throw this out there, even though it's a spoiler, because I don't want anyone to suddenly stop reading because they are offended. So, this story isn't about Ivypool finding a mate. It's about everyone else trying to get Ivypool to be her mate. It's not just about heterosexuality, it's also about asexuality and has a bit of homosexuality. Now you've been warned, so I don't want any complaints about anyone being offended.**

**And now, on a much happier note, continuing my happiness about getting views and reviews, I'm amazed and surprised at how many people followed and favorited this story in just one day. Sadly, I will not be able to update again until Wednesday, but for now you get Chapter One. So without further ado, here's chapter one.**

* * *

**Chapter One**

**No Thanks**

* * *

"Ivypool! Ivypool! Come here, Ivypool!" the dark brown tabby she-cat meowed excitedly. "Join us in our training today!"

"Lilypaw, don't bother Ivypool. What if Squirrelflight's already chosen her for another patrol?" Birchfall reminded his apprentice.

Ivypool purred in amusement. "Thanks, Birchfall." Ever since the war things had been awkward between her and her father. Birchfall felt awful about what he'd done in the Dark Forest. Ivypool knew her father was proud of her for being a spy, but Birchfall couldn't forgive himself, so he rarely talked to her.

"Y—yeah," Birchfall replied to her, reminding Ivypool of their awkwardness even more.

Ivypool sighed. "Sorry, Lilypaw, but maybe another time. I'm going on Bumblestripe's hunting patrol."

"Aw, okay. Promise for next time?" Lilypaw begged.

"I can't make any promises," Ivypool meowed. "Sorry. I wish I could, but I'm not the one who assigns patrols. You'll have to talk to Squirrelflight."

"Okay. I'll make sure we go on patrol soon!" Lilypaw cried excitedly.

"Come on," Birchfall meowed to his apprentice. "Poppyfrost and Seedpaw already went out. I'm sure they're waiting for us by the Sky Oak."

"Why didn't you say so?" Lilypaw exclaimed before bursting through the thorn entrance. Birchfall sighed before racing after his apprentice.

Ivypool purred in amusement. "She's a mess," she couldn't help but meow.

"All apprentices can be like that," Bumblestripe meowed, walking up to stand next to her. "Kits will be kits and apprentices will be apprentices."

"Ever since Brightheart's kits were apprenticed, we haven't had any kits in ThunderClan," Blossomfall added, joining them.

"Cinderheart's expecting Lionblaze's kits," Ivypool reminded her kindly. "Icecloud's expecting Mousewhisker's kits. There will be plenty of kits soon enough."

"Maybe you two could have kits as well," Blossomfall meowed teasingly.

"Wh—what?" Ivypool stammered.

"No, Blossomfall, I already told you, we're just friends," Bumblestripe protested.

Blossomfall purred. "Then do something about it," she teased.

"Wh—what?" This time Bumblestripe was alarmed.

"Come on, Blossomfall, don't tease them," Briarlight meowed, padding up to them. "Well, are we ready for this hunting patrol?"

"Just waiting on Dovewing now," Bumblestripe replied.

"You know, I'm really glad that you're able to walk again," Ivypool meowed to Briarlight. "I'm really glad that StarClan granted those miracles."

"Jayfeather can see now. Briarlight can walk again. It truly is a miracle," Bumblestripe agreed.

Ivypool knew the truth, that the 'miracles' only happened because dream and reality were blurred for so long, but most of the Clan thought that it was StarClan's reward for the hard fight in the war. Ivypool had just shrugged it off after talking with Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and her sister.

"Perhaps better than we deserve…" Blossomfall whispered.

"Don't feel bad, Blossomfall, it could have happened to anyone," Ivypool meowed.

"I know, I know, but it's still nagging at my fur," Blossomfall sighed.

"Come on, Blossomfall, can't we go on a good hunt?" Briarlight begged. "Stop worrying about the past and start concentrating on the future."

"I'm trying," Blossomfall protested.

"You're doing better than Birchfall is, I promise," Ivypool meowed. "Mousewhisker has already gotten over it."

"Mousewhisker has a mate now," Blossomfall reminded her. "He'll have kits to worry about soon enough. He has other things to think about that can keep him from thinking about his mistake. Some of us don't."

"Then find a mate," Bumblestripe teased.

"Hey!" Blossomfall protested. She playfully swatted a paw at him. Soon enough the two siblings were play-fighting.

"Kits, are we?" Ivypool purred as her sister joined them.

"What took you so long?" Ivypool asked.

"Bramblestar wanted me to check on the other Clans and see how they're doing," Dovewing replied. "Sorry. Let's go hunting."

"As soon as my siblings stop acting like kits and start acting like warriors," Briarlight reminded them. "Come on, Blossomfall, Bumblestripe."

"He started it!" Blossomfall protested, jumping to her paws.

"No way! It was you!" Bumblestripe argued.

"Whoever it was it doesn't matter," Dovewing meowed. "Can we go hunting already?"

"Hey, you're here!" Bumblestripe exclaimed.

"Took you long enough," Blossomfall agreed.

Ivypool purred in amusement. "Something they agree on!"

Briarlight purred in amusement. "Nice one, Ivypool!"

"Thank you, Briarlight, thank you," Ivypool meowed.

"Come on, let's go hunting already!" Dovewing exclaimed.

"Tired of being stuck in camp?" Ivypool asked her sister teasingly.

"Yes!" Dovewing replied. "I've been stuck on observation duties for over a moon now. I'm ready for a good hunt!"

"Of course you are," Ivypool meowed. "Well, at least things have been peaceful since the war."

"Agreed," Dovewing meowed. "Now let's go already!

* * *

**Out in the forest…**

* * *

"Let's split up," Briarlight suggested. "Blossomfall and I can hunt together, Ivypool and Bumblestripe can hunt together, and Dovewing can hunt by herself. We all know that Dovewing _loves_ hunting and is very good at it, so she doesn't need a partner," Briarlight added teasingly.

"Hey!" Dovewing protested.

"I'm just kidding," Briarlight meowed. "You can come with us. You can get away from your sister for once."

"Alright!" Dovewing meowed.

"Hey!" Ivypool protested.

Blossomfall purred in amusement. "Seriously, Ivypool, you're the only cat that Dovewing ever hunts with anymore! Let _us_ hunt with her for once!"

"Alright, alright," Ivypool meowed. "Have fun, Dovewing."

"You too, Ivypool," Dovewing replied.

"Let's see, it's sunrise now…let's meet at the lake at sunhigh?" Bumblestripe suggested. "Then we'll take out prey back to camp and decide what's next from there. Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me," Briarlight replied.

"That's fine," Ivypool agreed.

"Alright then, let's go!" Dovewing meowed excitedly.

"You're acting like a kit," Blossomfall teased.

"Hunting is fun, so let's enjoy it!" Briarlight exclaimed. "Come on, Dovewing, if Blossomfall doesn't want to have fun then you and I can!" Briarlight bounded off through some ferns. Dovewing immediately followed.

"Hey, wait for me!" Blossomfall cried. She waved her tail in farewell as she ran in pursuit of them.

Ivypool purred in amusement. "Let's go this way, then?" she asked Bumblestripe, tipping her head in the direction opposite of where the three she-cats had gone.

"Sure," Bumblestripe replied.

Ivypool saw a flicker in the leaves and lifted her tail for silence. Bumblestripe held still. Ivypool dashed out and killed the mouse with one swift strike.

"That was great!" Bumblestripe meowed, running over to her. "Nice catch!"

"Thanks," Ivypool replied. She sent a prayer to StarClan as she covered the prey with dirt and leaves.

"Sorry about earlier," Bumblestripe meowed as she finished covering up the mouse.

"What do you mean?" Ivypool asked, lifting her head to stare into Bumblestripe's amber gaze.

Bumblestripe was unable to look straight into her eyes. He turned away from her dark blue gaze. "About what Blossomfall said," he meowed awkwardly.

"Oh, um…don't worry about it. Blossomfall will be Blossomfall, you know?" Ivypool meowed awkwardly. "I know you love Dovewing, so…"

"She rejected me, though," Bumblestripe meowed.

"I don't know why. You're a great cat," Ivypool tried to be optimistic about it. This entire conversation was really awkward for her, though. She twitched her ear and shuffled her paws.

"You really think that?" Bumblestripe asked, lightening up.

_Sure, uh..._ "Of course!" Ivypool replied. She wanted to make the tom feel better. There were enough cats moping about from their mistakes in the war; she didn't want anyone moping about because they were turned down by the cat they loved.

"Wh—what about you?" Bumblestripe asked suddenly.

"What do you mean what about me?" Ivypool asked, tipping her head to the side in confusion.

"I think you're a great cat," Bumblestripe replied. "Really brave. What you did during the war was amazing, and…perhaps it's a good thing that Dovewing rejected me. I don't need Dovewing. I want _you_. Ivypool, I love you! I've been trying to figure out how to say it and I haven't until now, but now I have, and I'll say it again! I love you, Ivypool!"

"Uh…thanks?" Ivypool meowed awkwardly. She froze as Bumblestripe stared at her with a weird look in his eyes. _That wasn't the right thing to say, was it?_

"Ivypool, be my mate!" Bumblestripe begged.

"Uh…no thanks," Ivypool replied awkwardly.

Bumblestripe stared at her like she'd just killed his sister or something. Ivypool suddenly found herself cowering in fear.

"Why not?" Bumblestripe asked softly.

"Um…I don't want a mate," Ivypool replied awkwardly.

"Why not?" Bumblestripe repeated.

"I—I just don't," Ivypool replied. She cowered even more, until she was almost flat against the ground. She couldn't explain how uncomfortable she felt. "I…I don't love cats. I love my family like I love my friends, and I love my friends like I love my family. So I want to be friends…not mates. Does that make sense?"

"I guess," Bumblestripe replied. He sighed and hung his head. "Let's split up. I'll meet you back at camp. Just tell the others I went back, will you?"

"Uh, sure," Ivypool meowed. Bumblestripe ran away without another word. Ivypool lifted herself from the ground and started at the bushes he'd run away through.

_What have I done? I've just hurt my friend!_

"I—vy—pool!" Ivypool turned at the sound of her name. It was her sister.

"What's up, Dovewing?" Ivypool asked, glad for the distraction.

"I need to tell you something," Dovewing meowed.

"Okay…have you been watching me?" Ivypool asked.

"No, I was looking for you, but Briarlight made a bet with me that I couldn't go a hunt without using my powers so I'm confining my powers to around me. I just found you staring into the bushes."

"Oh, okay. Well, what do you need to tell me?" Ivypool asked curiously.

"I'm expecting kits!" Dovewing meowed.

"Whose are they?" Ivypool asked kindly.

"Bumblestripe's!" Dovewing replied.

Ivypool froze. _That…that little…_

"Ivypool, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Dovewing asked curiously.

"What? Yeah! Of course I am! Sorry, I was just surprised, that's all. Congratulations!" Ivypool meowed, feeling guilty about lying to her sister.

"Thanks!" Dovewing meowed. "Speaking of, where is Bumblestripe, anyway?"

"He went back to camp," Ivypool replied. "He wasn't feeling well or something. But seeing you and hearing your good news is sure to make him feel better! So go tell him! I'll meet up with Briarlight and Blossomfall," Ivypool offered.

"Great! Thanks!" Dovewing meowed before bounding away.

Ivypool sighed. "My life is really messed up…" she whispered to herself.

* * *

**The lines work! Hurray! A long time ago, when I was last on FF, it was an anomaly if the lines worked. This is so awesome...**

**Moving on...**

**These earlier chapters were easier for me to write than the later chapters are. Mainly because when it comes to romance I am completely lost. I feel the exact way Ivypool does...well, right now, anyway. She changes through out the story, which is why it was harder for me to write later chapters, and why this story may seem very cheesy at times. I have absolutely no understanding of romance. I try not to read it, but here I am writing it. Good thinking, huh?**

**Well, anyway, uh...okay, not strange at all...I'm listening to a random playlist in iTunes and the song "Crush" just started playing...Who is it by? No idea. It's the Glee version. But, you know, that's still really awkward...**

**Anyways...I get distracted way too easily, which is why I find it surprising that I listen to music while I work on something. Maybe that's why it takes me a while...but I hate that awkward silence while trying to do work...especially the awkward silence during a history test in school...**

**See? I just got distracted again. Well darn. So, before this carries on too far, I'm ending this AN right here.**

**~Icy**


	3. Chapter 02

**Well, what do you know? I get to update today after all. Not sure about tomorrow, though...**

**There's so many reviews already! I'm really surprised by it. Honestly, I wasn't expecting but maybe 2 or 3 reviews for the first five chapters, so this is really cool. I'm kind of stuck between awe and confusion right now...**

**And on a completely different note, I'm not going to keep you from chapter two anymore. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**What in StarClan's Name...?**

* * *

Ivypool finished her vole and pushed the bones away. The fresh-kill pile was decently high. There were quite a few mice in the pile, but there were some thrushes and sparrows as well. _The apprentices sure did well hunting earlier,_ she thought. She turned and looked across the clearing to see Bumblestripe and Dovewing purring, twining their tails together. Ivypool couldn't help but glare at them.

"Hmph," she muttered as she got to her paws. "I'll _never_ have a mate. Who would want one?" She shook her fur and slapped her tail against the ground.

"I couldn't agree with you more." Ivypool jumped as Hazeltail padded up to her.

"Why's that?" Ivypool asked curiously as Hazeltail sat down next to her. Ivypool sat down again so they could talk.

"Because toms are so…stupid! Foxleap said he wanted to be my mate but I know that he loves Rosepetal! And they're kin! That's so…ugh!" Hazeltail exclaimed. She lifted a paw, licked it, and washed it over her face. She shook her head before licking the tip of her tail.

"Well, just look at those sorry sops over there," Ivypool muttered, pointing her tail to her sister and her new mate. Ivypool flattened her ears and twitched her whiskers.

"Great StarClan! Find some place private!" Hazeltail spat. Her fur began to bristle.

"Hey, do you want to go hunting? I know it's almost sunfall, but I could use some night hunting," Ivypool meowed, looking up at the sky to check whether it was going to rain later or not. The clouds were dark, but Ivypool didn't care. She was willing to chance it. "I want to get my mind off of things."

"Yeah, sure. Of course," Hazeltail replied. "Want anyone else to come with us? I can ask Berrynose or Poppyfrost or…"

"Just us," Ivypool meowed, making up her mind quickly. "No toms. Just us." As she finished speaking she realized she'd already made up her mind ahead of time.

"That's great!" Hazeltail exclaimed, jumping to her paws. Ivypool did the same. "Let's get out of here already!"

"Where are you going?" Squirrelflight asked curiously, padding up to them with Lionblaze and Jayfeather at her sides. Squirrelflight dropped a sparrow onto the fresh-kill pile while Lionblaze dropped a couple of mice. Jayfeather set his marigold down so he could talk to them.

"We're just going hunting," Ivypool replied. "A friendly hunt among friends." Ivypool nodded to Lionblaze and Jayfeather. Hazeltail, however, dipped her head. Ivypool kept herself from sighing. Everyone was far too respectful to the Three, treating them like StarClan themselves. They were like that to Ivypool, too, but Ivypool did her best to change that. Ivypool wanted friends, not worshipers.

"Alright. Have fun," Squirrelflight meowed. She flicked her tail. Jayfeather picked up his marigold before he, Lionblaze, and Squirrelflight padded off. Ivypool guessed they were heading towards Bramblestar's den.

"We will!" Hazeltail called after them as she began padding to the camp entrance.

_Hopefully this hunt will go much better than my hunt from earlier did,_ Ivypool couldn't help but think as she followed Hazeltail out of camp.

* * *

**In the midst of a hunt…**

* * *

Ivypool was surrounded by fronds of ferns and lots of different herbs she couldn't even name. Hazeltail had brought her to an unexplored part of the territory. Well, it was unexplored according to the rest of the Clan, but Hazeltail had explored it quite a bit. She knew where some catmint was, but she wanted to save it until there was no more catmint left in the other patches. According to Hazeltail this was a good area to hunt, but Ivypool had yet to see any prey.

Ivypool padded through some purple flowers, carefully stepping around them so she didn't damage any nutrients they might have. The air was starting to dampen. The clouds above their heads were getting darker. Dewdrops stuck to the leaves on the ferns and holly bushes. It was going to rain, and it looked like it was going to be a bad storm.

"Thanks for coming hunting with me, Ivypool," Hazeltail meowed, breaking Ivypool's thoughts about her surroundings. "Really helped me get my mind off things."

"No problem," Ivypool replied as she stepped around a few more flowers. "Thank you for not being like so many of the cats in our Clan."

"How so?" Hazeltail asked curiously. She stopped walking and looked at her as she talked. Ivypool stopped as well and faced Hazeltail as she replied.

"Well, you don't…_worship _me. Sorry for better lack of word, but…"

"I see how they look at you," Hazeltail replied knowingly. "They say they have respect for you, almost too much, but they don't have _real_ respect for you. If they did then they'd stop treating you like someone they can't talk to and start treating you like a friend," Hazeltail meowed, slapping her tail against the ground. Ivypool felt a slight twinge of pity for the green leaves she had flattened. "I'm your friend, aren't I?"

"Of course you are!" Ivypool replied. She lifted her head up to stretch her neck before letting it fall down again to face the smaller gray-and-white she-cat. "You're a great friend at that. And I thank you for it."

"Of course! But listen…I was wondering if we could be more than friends," Hazeltail began. She shuffled her paws, leaving a blur of gray and white. Ivypool heard a light boom of thunder off in the distance.

"What do you mean?" Ivypool asked curiously, tipping her head to the side. "How can we be more than friends? Do you want to be best friends or something? 'Cause…"

"That's not what I mean," Hazeltail meowed. She twitched her ears as raindrops began lightly falling on them. "I don't want a mate because I don't love toms. I love a she-cat," Hazeltail added awkwardly. There was another boom of thunder, but it was a bit louder. The storm was getting closer. Ivypool shifted uncomfortably as raindrops caused her fur to stick against her pelt.

_What in StarClan's name…?_

"Um…who would that be?" Ivypool asked. However, she was dreading the answer she was about to hear. The thunder boomed a lot louder this time. The storm was here. The rain suddenly started pouring down on them. Ivypool wasn't getting a very good vibe.

"You," Hazeltail replied, taking a step forward towards her. "I love _you_."

"Um…I really don't know what to say to that," Ivypool meowed awkwardly. She took a step back so that Hazeltail didn't get too close to her. Anymore than she was right now and it would be too awkward for Ivypool. "I didn't know it was possible for she-cats to love other she-cats, but…evidently it is. Let me process that, first."

"You were so brave in the war!" Hazeltail exclaimed, not giving her any time at all. "That's just…so awesome! It's so…amazing! I'm surprised you haven't had a tom ask you to be your mate yet!"

"Oh, I have," Ivypool muttered. "I turned him down." She flicked her tail, sending raindrops flying across her vision.

"How did he react to that?" Hazeltail asked curiously.

"I haven't talked to him since. As soon as he left my sister arrived to tell me she was expecting his kits," Ivypool spat.

"That's terrible!" Hazeltail exclaimed. "This is why we can't trust toms! This is why we should love each other." Hazeltail padded closer to Ivypool. Ivypool tried to focus on the scrunching of leaves so she didn't have to focus on the problem, but all it did was make things worse. "You can trust _me_. You can love _me_." Ivypool's gaze was brought back up immediately.

"I can trust you, but I'm not so sure about…that second part," Ivypool meowed awkwardly, backing away from Hazeltail. Hazeltail continued to pad closer to her, and Ivypool backed away until suddenly she found she'd lost her footing. She suddenly saw nothing but dark gray storm clouds and pelting rain, and next thing she knew she heard another boom of thunder as everything went black.

* * *

**I added in a lot of descriptions from what I originally had, but I'm not still sure if there are as many as I'd like or not. I've obviously got more to work on, but hopefully this is a good start. Oh yeah, and I didn't describe the cliff towards the end because she didn't see it until she fell off of it. I wanted it to be as surprising for the readers as it was for Ivypool herself.**

**On a different note, I want to point out something that I might not have made clear in the last chapter. Ivypool is what I call asexual, which is something that a lot of people aren't familiar with. I can't stand romance stories because, similar to Ivypool in the story (_spoiler/_well, for now, anyway, until she goes through some changes later.../_end spoiler_), I am asexual, which makes writing this story very interesting for me. I've never actually had to deal with the problems that Ivypool is having to deal with and will have to deal with soon…Okay, I've obviously never fought in a war, but you know what I mean.**

**So…first Bumblestripe, then Hazeltail, and then she falls off a cliff! What's next for poor Ivypool? Find out next chapter!**

**Until then!**

**~Icy**


	4. Chapter 03

**This is probably one of the worst chapters in this entire story. When I originally wrote this story about a month ago, maybe a bit more, I wrote this chapter when I was bored and had had one cookie and Dr. Pepper too many, so the result is...not that great. Even though a lot of it is filler, there is some foreshadowing in it. There's some important stuff that happens as well.**

**Well, I don't want to keep any of you waiting anymore, so here's the chapter.**

**P.S. Sorry about the title. I know it's a bit trollish, but as I said before, this is the result of too many cookies and too much Dr. Pepper at the same time.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**The Game (You Just Lost)**

* * *

She heard the terrified cries of her Clanmates and jerked her head up. Wide-eyed, she looked back and forth in the den. She didn't recognize where she was. She didn't see the protective brambles of the warriors den. All she saw were tons of colorful flowers and leaves and…she just found herself confused. She flattened her ears and blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the light.

"Ivypool? Ivypool, are you okay?" Ivypool jerked her head again to where the sound came from. A gray tabby tom was staring at her anxiously. His blue eyes were shining with worry.

"Wh—who…" Ivypool stopped herself. She felt like she should know this cat. "J...Jay..." She twitched her tail in discomfort when she realized she could only remember half of this tom's name.

"Yes?" the tom asked her. "Jay? Jayfeather? That's me. Why? What's up? How 'ya feelin'?"

"Jayfeather!" she exclaimed. "The medicine cat den!" She jumped to her paws, only to fall back over into her nest. "How…what?" was all she could mutter. She lay on her side in her nest, suddenly finding herself extremely tired. The only time she'd been this tired before was when she'd been training in the Dark Forest. What in the name of StarClan had happened to her?

"You fell off of a cliff. Hazeltail came running to camp crying for help, saying that you'd run off of a cliff chasing a squirrel. That wasn't exactly smart, was it?" Jayfeather retorted.

"Ran off a cliff? What cliff?" Ivypool asked. "I don't…no…" She muttered, shaking her head.

"You don't know what?" Jayfeather asked, blinking his eyes as he patiently waited for her. Ivypool wondered how in the name of StarClan anyone could have so much patience. She was being sarcastic, of course.

"No! Wrong 'no'! I know what happened, it's just…I have to remember it, that's all," Ivypool meowed, feeling stupid. She tipped her head to the side and twitched her ears.

"Just give it time," Jayfeather meowed encouragingly. "You need to stay here and recover. It's possible that you have a head injury, so just give it time."

"Time? I don't have time!" Ivypool cried. "I have things to do!" _I have to deal with Bumblestripe and…oh yeah! That's what happened!_

"You remember?" Jayfeather asked. "The look on your face says you did."

"Wh—what look? I don't have a look," Ivypool protested, narrowing her eyes.

"Sure, sure, whatever," Jayfeather meowed teasingly. "Come on, Ivypool. Tell me the truth. What happened?"

"I was backing away from her," Ivypool meowed. "One moment I'm on solid ground looking at rows and rows of herbs and the next I'm looking at sky when all of a sudden I hear a loud thump and everything turns black."

"Back that up. What rows of herbs? No, that's not important. Who were you backing away from?" Jayfeather asked, shaking his head so he could clear it. He tried to focus on her and not his medicine cat duties.

Ivypool was about to reply when she realized she didn't know. "I just…it was on the tip of my tongue and I lost it. I knew who it was, Jayfeather! But now I've forgotten again!" She quickly became frustrated with herself. _Just how stupid am I, anyway?_

"When you remember just let me know, will you?" Jayfeather asked. "Hazeltail will want to see you to make sure you're okay."

"What about Dovewing?" Ivypool asked, suddenly remembering and thinking about her sister. "Did Dovewing see what happened?"

"No," Jayfeather replied, twitching his whiskers. "She was busy making herself a new nest at the time."

"New nest? For what?" Ivypool asked. "Was her moss bad or something?"

"Oh…did she not tell you yet?" Jayfeather asked, suddenly wide-eyed.

"Tell me what?" Ivypool questioned.

"Oops," Jayfeather muttered.

"Ivypool? You're awake!" Ivypool lifted her head at her sister's voice.

"Dovewing!" Ivypool exclaimed happily. She turned to face her gray sister as she slowly got to her paws. Dovewing's blue eyes were shining with happiness.

"How are you?" Dovewing asked.

"I'm fine," Ivypool kept her reply short.

"Great!" Dovewing meowed, her tail almost wagging like a dog's tail. "I have good news."

"What's up?" Ivypool asked, trying to stand on her own in front of her sister. She couldn't tell if she was doing well or not…Dovewing wasn't saying anything, but…

"I told Bumblestripe! He's so excited!" Dovewing exclaimed.

"Bumblestripe?" Ivypool could only remember her conversation with Bumblestripe. It made her fur stand on end. What was it that Dovewing had told Bumblestripe? Did Dovewing know what he'd asked her?

"Did you forget?" Dovewing asked, tipping her head to the side. "I'm pretty sure I told you." She innocently blinked her eyes a couple of times.

"She might have a head injury," Jayfeather explained quickly. Ivypool figured he wanted to explain before Dovewing started freaking out. Ivypool knew from multiple experiences that it didn't take much to freak her sister out. "I'm going to keep her in here for at least another day. I'm not sure how much she forgot."

"I remember hunting yesterday morning, but I don't remember much after that," Ivypool confessed.

"Oh, well you're not going to remember what I told you, then. You're going to be an aunt! I'm expecting Bumblestripe's kits!" Dovewing meowed excitedly. Her eyes, shining as much as they were before, lit up even more.

"C—congratulations." Ivypool muttered. Thinking about Bumblestripe made her angry, but the thought of Bumblestripe asking to be her mate right before Dovewing revealed he was expecting her kits…that was so wrong! Not to mention…

_Wait a minute._ Ivypool interrupted her own thoughts. "Oh, I remember you telling me now. It's coming back to me."

"Okay, good. I thought something was wrong the way you said it," Dovewing meowed.

"No, it's not that. It's great that you're expecting kits," Ivypool meowed, quickly catching her mistake. "I'm really happy for you as long as you're sure that's what you want."

"If I'm sure that's what I want? Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" Dovewing asked.

"N—nothing. Sorry. Congratulations!" Ivypool meowed quickly, trying to cover her next mistake. She realized she was covering one mistake with another. _I must have hit my head really hard because I can barely keep two thoughts together right now..._

Dovewing narrowed her eyes down to blue slits. "I'll bring you some fresh-kill later, so sleep well, okay? You're acting strange right now, so…"

"She does sound tired," Jayfeather interrupted her.

"Even though she's been asleep for an entire day already?" Dovewing teased.

"I've been asleep for an entire day?" Ivypool exclaimed.

"Yup! I told you yesterday morning about my kits. It's almost nighttime now," Dovewing added. "I guess I won't bring you fresh-kill, then…"

"Fresh-kill? Right here!" A dark brown she-cat padded into the den with a shrew and a sparrow.

"Briarlight, you didn't have to, but thanks," Jayfeather meowed.

"Of course. I haven't forgotten how much you've helped me, Jayfeather. I'll never stop helping you," Briarlight meowed seriously.

"Come on, lighten up," Dovewing meowed. "Let's go play a game or something with Bumblestripe and Blossomfall!"

"Game? What kind of game?" Briarlight asked excitedly.

"Oh! Is it the new game you created, Dovewing? I love that game!" Ivypool exclaimed, quickly catching up.

"Bumblestripe loves it, too!" Dovewing agreed. Hearing Bumblestripe's name made Ivypool feel uneasy, but Ivypool shook her fur to try and clear it.

"So what is this game exactly?" Briarlight asked, flicking her tail.

"It sounds interesting," Jayfeather agreed.

"We should teach it to Lionblaze and Cinderheart!" Ivypool exclaimed to Dovewing. She happily swished her tail back and forth across the medicine cat floor, sending dirt everywhere. Jayfeather glared at her after sneezing.

"That would be a good idea," Dovewing agreed, twitching her whiskers. She was obviously trying to keep from laughing.

"We can surely teach it to Jayfeather as well," Ivypool meowed, exchanging an amused glance with her sister.

"Enough with the suspense! What is the game?" Briarlight exclaimed exasperatingly.

"Well, one cat picks a few feathers off of the bird and hides them under their nest, as we usually play in the warriors den, and everyone else guesses how many there are," Dovewing replied.

"There's another game based off of that one where you can pick any kind of prey, whether it be vole, mouse, or shrew and guess how many there are of it in the fresh-kill pile," Ivypool put in. "We should play now!"

"_You_ should be resting," Jayfeather meowed to her sternly, "but I can't see the harm in playing a simple game. Briarlight already brought us a sparrow, so why don't we try it?" He licked his paw and drew it across his face a few times.

"Sounds like fun to me," Briarlight agreed. She stretched her legs as she prepared to sit down for a while.

"Awesome!" Dovewing exclaimed, not hesitating to begin. "Okay, I'll get take the feathers this time.."

"Oh yeah! The winner gets to put the feathers in their nest!" Ivypool added.

"Really? That's a nice prize," Jayfeather meowed. He perked his ears up in interest.

"If you're getting the feathers then you can't get any more than ten. We made that rule because it started getting ridiculous. Sometimes a cat would win once, not mentioning any names, Blossomfall, and get twenty-five or so feathers. Some cats had extremely soft nests while others had nests that were practically made of brambles," Ivypool added.

Dovewing burst out laughing. Jayfeather didn't attempt to hide the amusement in his eyes.

"Good job," Briarlight meowed to her.

"Thanks," Ivypool replied.

"Alright, alright, turn around and close your eyes while I get the feathers," Dovewing ordered them.

"Alright," Ivypool replied. She turned around and closed her eyes. Her dream suddenly came back. She was in the Dark Forest. All of her Clanmates were begging her for help as shadows ripped their fur off, hair by hair, blood drop by blood drop. Ivypool whirled around when she felt a tail-tip on her spine. The tail-tip stroked down her spine. Most cats would do this to comfort someone they loved, but Ivypool didn't find it comforting at all. She gasped and opened her eyes at who she saw. The dream broke away as she opened her eyes back to the medicine cat den.

"Can you read minds now, too, Ivypool? I _just _finished. It's a good thing I was done," Dovewing teased.

"Oh, uh, sorry," Ivypool muttered as she tried to get the image out of her mind.

"I didn't know cats whirled around and gasped while they waited patiently," Dovewing continued to tease her.

"Don't judge me!" Ivypool protested as everyone else opened their eyes. "There would be war right now if we were kits or apprentices."

"I'm sure, I'm sure," Dovewing meowed slowly and sarcastically. "Alright, any guesses?"

"Two!" Briarlight meowed immediately.

"I was thinking three," Jayfeather meowed.

"Hmm…either five or seven, uh…" Ivypool couldn't decide.

"Either way you win," Dovewing purred. "It was six, so…"

"Ha! I won!" Ivypool meowed. "Give me those feathers and I'll put them in the nest that I'm standing on right now."

"Which you'll be sleeping in tonight, don't forget," Jayfeather reminded her.

"I don't think you'll let me forget," Ivypool retorted. Jayfeather twitched his whiskers in amusement but said nothing more.

"So, whose turn is next?" Dovewing asked.

"How can you play? Wouldn't you cheat?" Jayfeather asked.

"Nope. I can close my eyes and focus my sight on the clearing. Ivypool can shake me when you're ready," Dovewing replied. "Do you want to get the feathers?"

"I sure do," Jayfeather replied.

"Alright," Dovewing meowed. She turned around and closed her eyes. Briarlight closed her eyes. Ivypool sighed and turned around. She found herself in the Dark Forest again, not a moment later than her last memory of the ever-continuing dream.

_This dream continues into my reality every time I close my eyes,_ Ivypool thought angrily. However, the glare of the tom that watched her was too much for her. Ivypool wanted desperately to jump at the tom and shred him to pieces, which would be easy for her, but she forced herself not to.

"Alright, I'm ready." Ivypool snapped open her eyes as soon as she heard the voice, tearing herself away from her dream-vision-thing. _I'll have to find it a name later,_ she reminded herself. She turned around and prodded Dovewing. "Come on, Jayfeather's waiting," she meowed.

Dovewing turned around and opened her eyes. "This will have to be the last one, and quick. Lilypaw and Seedpaw are about to have their warrior ceremony."

"That's great!" Briarlight meowed. "Okay, um…this time I'm going with nine feathers."

"I was thinking four," Dovewing meowed.

Ivypool watched Jayfeather closely as he waited for her answer. There was a slight twitch of his whiskers. Ivypool knew immediately what he had done.

"Ha! It's a trick!" Ivypool exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Dovewing asked.

"The maximum is ten, but there isn't a minimum," Ivypool reminded them.

"Isn't it one?" Briarlight asked.

"Jayfeather didn't get _any_ feathers!" Ivypool announced happily.

"Way to go, you win," Jayfeather meowed, nodding to Ivypool. Ivypool purred in reply.

"But she doesn't get any feathers for her nest," Dovewing protested. She blinked a couple of times.

"This _is_ Jayfeather we're talking about here," Briarlight reminded her. She didn't seemed shocked at all.

"I'll have to watch out for that next time," Dovewing meowed. She shook her head as she sighed.

"As long as you don't cheat I'm fine," Briarlight replied to her. The two exited the den. Jayfeather started to follow them but stopped and turned around.

"Are you coming?" he asked, pointing his gray tabby tail at the den entrance.

"Are you kidding? I'm not missing this ceremony for anything!" Ivypool replied. "Let's go!" She bounded out of the den, Jayfeather right behind her. Ivypool ran over to Dovewing, Briarlight, and Blossomfall and sat down. Jayfeather sat down next to Lionblaze and Cinderheart, who were nearby. Ivypool was relieved to find that Bumblestripe was sitting next to Graystripe, away from where she was.

"Are you excited?" Blossomfall asked them.

"Of course!" Briarlight replied. "The first new warriors since Cherryfrost and Moleheart at the end of the war! This is exciting!"

"Shh, it's starting," Dovewing whispered to them.

"Why does it matter to you? You can hear him anyway if you just block out all of us," Ivypool reminded her.

"Politeness for one thing, but for another thing it's so I don't have to use my powers as much as I used to. Now, for real this time, be quite because it's starting!" Dovewing whispered. Ivypool twitched her whiskers but said nothing more as she got settled in her spot.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have worked hard to understand the ways of your noble code and I commend them to you as warriors in return. Lilypaw, Seedpaw, do you promise to uphold and protect the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Bramblestar meowed.

"I do," Lilypaw meowed calmly.

"I do," Seedpaw meowed, just as calm as her sister.

"Then I name you warriors in return. Lilypaw, from now on you shall be known as Lilypetal. StarClan honors you for your bravery and determination. Seedpaw, from now on you shall be known as Seedtail. StarClan honors you for your strength and intelligence," Bramblestar meowed. He rested his muzzle on each of their heads.

"Tonight you shall hold vigil." Bramblestar concluded.

"Lilypetal! Seedtail! Lilypetal! Seedtail!" the Clan called out excitedly. Ivypool called out their names loudly too. Birchfall and Poppyfrost were the first to congratulate the new warriors, having been their mentors. Sorreltail and Brackenfur, their parents, were quick to congratulate them as well. Ivypool hesitated. She wanted to congratulate them, but she suddenly felt out of place…with everything.

"Aren't you going to congratulate them?" Ivypool jumped. She turned to see Jayfeather staring at her with an intent blue gaze. He twitched his ears. "Dovewing, Briarlight, and Blossomfall already left to congratulate them. Did you notice?"

"No!" Ivypool exclaimed. She turned to see that Jayfeather was right. Dovewing, Briarlight, and Blossomfall were already over there congratulating the new warriors. "Wow, they're gone. That was fast."

"Maybe you're just slow," Jayfeather meowed teasingly. "Still think you shouldn't sleep in the medicine cat den tonight?"

"Um…yeah," Ivypool replied curtly. "My dreams are private."

"Who said anything about dreams?" Jayfeather asked. "But now you've got me curious," he added teasingly.

"W—well, I—I…I just assumed…" Ivypool began, but Jayfeather cut her off.

"You've been having nightmares since the war, right? You tell everyone else that they need to stop fretting, and you appear to be over it, but your dreams suggest that you're the worst off, right?" Jayfeather asked.

"Have you been in my dreams recently?" Ivypool asked suspiciously.

"No," Jayfeather replied. "Oh, and it doesn't matter where you are, I can still reach your dreams. I got into Willowshine's dream one time from my nest," Jayfeather added. "For that matter, I got all of the medicine cats together in my dream right before the war. So you may as well sleep in the medicine cat den tonight."

Ivypool glared at him. "If you agree to stay out of my dreams, then I'll stay."

"Fine," Jayfeather meowed. "But if it's that bad, then I can give you some poppy seeds or something…"

"It's fine!" Ivypool snapped. She found herself struggling to keep her anger inside. The truth was that Jayfeather was right. She was struggling the most from her regrets about the war. It was her fault that Hollyleaf was dead. It was her fault, not being in ThunderClan to help her Clanmates, that Ferncloud and Mousefur died. It was her fault, not jumping in to help, that Firestar died. So many things were her fault…she constantly had nightmares about it. In her dreams she was still in the Dark Forest, even though cats couldn't enter the Dark Forest in their dreams anymore, not even if they wanted to…

"Ivypool, you zoned out," Jayfeather meowed. His meow brought Ivypool back to her senses.

"I—I'm s—sorry, Jayfeather…" Ivypool muttered. "I want to sleep outside of camp tonight, actually," Ivypool meowed. "Next to the lake."

"Sure, whatever," Jayfeather shrugged.

"Seriously?" Ivypool exclaimed wide-eyed.

"No! Of course not! You'll sleep in my den tonight so I can keep an eye on you. You've been acting strangely ever since you woke up," Jayfeather meowed. "I want to make sure you don't have a head injury."

"Fine," Ivypool meowed, sighing. _Head injuries are the least of my worries…_

Ivypool followed Jayfeather back to the medicine cat den. As soon as she arrived at her nest she allowed herself to fall over and closed her eyes briefly. She opened them when she realized that the nest was covered in feathers. She lifted her head to see Amberpaw.

"I put some feathers in your nest," Amberpaw meowed. "That sparrow was over there, so I figured I could put the feathers in your nest. I suggested it to Whitewing and she loved the idea."

"Thank you," Ivypool meowed. "Will you thank Whitewing for me?"

"Of course! She'll be so happy to hear that you're okay! Want her to come visit you?" Amberpaw added excitedly.

"Sorry, but I'm really tired right now and I just want to sleep," Ivypool replied.

"Oh, okay." Amberpaw meowed. The apprentice tried to appear excited but Ivypool could tell she was disappointed.

"You can do one thing for me, though," Ivypool added. "Will you tell Whitewing to come see me tomorrow morning? I didn't see her earlier when I was out in the clearing."

"Of course!" Amberpaw replied. "I'll be glad to!"

"Thanks," Ivypool meowed.

"Any time!" Amberpaw meowed before bursting out of the den. Jayfeather purred in amusement as soon as she left.

"They practically worship you," Jayfeather meowed.

"I know, I know," Ivypool muttered. "I wish they wouldn't."

"It'll pass soon enough," Jayfeather encouraged her. "Hopefully your dreams will do the same thing."

"I doubt it," Ivypool muttered softly.

"What?" Jayfeather asked.

"Nothing," Ivypool muttered in reply.

"Seriously, though, stop muttering. Leafpool is in the nursery on duty for when Cinderheart's kits are born, so there's no one else in here," Jayfeather comforted her. "Now, do you want to give me any specifics on what's wrong, or…"

"I really don't," Ivypool replied. There was no way she was going to explain her fears to Jayfeather.

"Alright," Jayfeather replied. "Well, you know where to find me if you're ever ready."

"Ready for what?" Ivypool asked as she tucked her head under her paws.

"To tell me what's happened," Jayfeather replied. "If you can remember how you fell off that cliff exactly."

"I'll try…" Ivypool muttered sleepily. She hadn't wanted them to, but her eyes had closed on their own. She found herself in the Dark Forest yet again, with the tom staring at her.

"Be my mate," he meowed. "You're an amazing cat. There's no reason why you won't be my mate."

"I—I don't want a mate," Ivypool stammered. "Please…just understand…I don't like this 'not being friends' thing…can't we just be friends? I'm just friends with everyone. I'm nice to everyone, I'm…"

"You are. That's why you deserve a mate," the tom meowed.

"For StarClan's sake, I don't want a mate!" Ivypool hissed. She'd grown tired of trying to explain it over and over again.

"I'll let you go, for now," the tom added, "but don't think I'll let you go forever!" He spat as he faded away.

"Just leave me alone…please, leave me alone…" Ivypool whispered to herself. The gray and black fur faded into the darkness of the Dark Forest, but not without one last ice-blue glare.

Ivypool froze. All of her senses were suddenly alert again.

_Bumblestripe doesn't have ice-blue eyes! Those are the eyes of…_

Ivypool found herself backing away slowly. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to shove the dream away.

_Oh, dear StarClan, what's happening to me?_

She snapped her eyes open and jerked her head up. She smelled poppy seeds.

"Jayfeather?" she asked shakily.

"Those poppy seeds are for you," Jayfeather replied. His nest was next to hers, which surprised Ivypool. "I think you're going to need them. While you were dreaming your breathing was extremely shallow and ragged. I didn't know if you were okay or not so I entered your dream and…"

"My dreams are private! I told you that already!" Ivypool snapped.

"I had to make sure you were okay!" Jayfeather protested. "Now come on, you need some decent sleep. Take the poppy seeds."

"I don't think they'll help any, but I'll try," Ivypool meowed, if only to please Jayfeather. Ivypool lapped up the poppy seeds and tucked her head under her paws again. "Good night, Jayfeather," she muttered.

"Sweet dreams, Ivypool," Jayfeather replied.

As Ivypool felt herself drifting away to sleep, she couldn't help but think, _what in the name of StarClan is happening to me?_

* * *

**Surprise! I bet you were expecting Bumblestripe to be the tom that was haunting her in her dream after her fall! You were not expecting someone to be posing as Bumblestripe, were you? Especially not Hawkfrost? Nope. I didn't think so.**

**Ivypool doesn't remember anything that happened with Hazeltail. What do you think of this? Is this a blessing from StarClan? Or will this just make everything worse later? If you picked the second one, you picked correct!**

**Poor Ivypool. Bumblestripe wants to be her mate, Hazeltail wants to be her mate, Ivypool falls off a cliff and forgets about Hazeltail, but her dreams, which are already haunted by the war, have added Hawkfrost posing as Bumblestripe to that…What's next? And anybody notice how Jayfeather was acting just slightly different after being in her dream? Hint hint? Nudge nudge? Know what I mean? Sorry, I'll stop quoting Monty Python now…**

**Oh yeah, I think the name Lilypetal is an amazing name. Before Rosepetal became a warrior I was pulling for the name Rosepetal because I thought it was awesome. I love the name Lilypetal. Seedtail is named after her mother, Sorreltail.**

**The title of this chapter is, uh…a bit trollish, I must say. Sorry about that. The Game (You Just Lost), as in you just lost the game. To anyone who plays "the game," in your face because you just lost the game. No hard feelings, though.**

**A lot said for this chapter. Sorry about that. A lot happened, though. Oh yeah, I promise you that Hawkfrost doesn't love Ivypool. There is absolutely no Hawk X Ivy in this fic. I can't stand that pairing. Just thinking about it...it's just…_where do you people come up with these things from?_  
**

**Sorry about that, I lost my mind for a minute. Although I probably shouldn't have said that, especially after the review I got against Hazeltail being gay... Where was I again? Oh yeah…end of the chapter! Quick, before I find some other long-winded topic to talk about! See you next chapter!**

**~Icy**


	5. Chapter 04

**Well, it's been a while since I've updated this story... It's actually been an entire month, and for that I must apologize. So, here's the plan. I can't promise it, but I'm going to try and update this story once a week, two weeks at the latest. I can promise, however, that this story will be finished by holiday season. That seems extreme, I know, but my first marching band competition of the season is this Saturday, and when putting that with two AP classes I have lots of work to do and little spare time left for fanfic. This schedule carries out until the end of October.**

**So, on other notes, I've been working on adding some details, but the problem I have with adding a lot of details is that the story doesn't flow as smoothly if there's too many details clogging the path. I like for my stories to flow very quickly and smoothly rather than having it drag on and go by very slowly. Therefore, while I am adding some details, I'm not adding as many details as I could.**

**And no more annoying AN's from me. I'll let you all get to the chapter now. So without further ado, enjoy chapter four.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**Whichever Way the Wind...Come Again?**

* * *

Cats were crowded in the clearing of the camp. The grass was beginning to turn brown from the cold. The threat of leaf-bare was only two moons away, but the cold front had already met the camp. Some of the cats were shivering from the wind. The floor of the clearing was filled with brown leaves. They had been green just days ago, but they had all turned brown from the cold. Some of them had even started to crumble.

"Having fun?" Ivypool whirled around to see Dovewing looking at her through narrowed blue eyes. Dovewing's pale gray fur was flat. Dovewing was very calm. Ivypool, however, was not calm. Her fur stood on end and her tail kept twitching. Dovewing stretched her legs while Ivypool glared at her through her dark blue gaze.

"Having fun?" Ivypool repeated her sister's question. "What's fun about waiting outside the nursery while your former mentor gives birth to her kits?" She shook her head while she tried to clear the panic away.

"I'm sure the kits will grow up to be strong, though," Dovewing meowed. "They're Lionblaze's kits, after all."

"Cinderheart is strong, too!" Ivypool argued defensively for her former mentor.

"Yeah, but did Cinderheart mentor you? Or Cinderpelt?" Dovewing questioned her, tipping her head to the side.

"Either way, Cinderpelt's in StarClan now. Cinderheart confirmed she was gone and Jayfeather confirmed she's in StarClan," Ivypool reminded her. She grabbed the tip of her tail with her front paw and began to wash it in an attempt to calm herself down.

"Sure, sure," Dovewing meowed.

"Cinderheart didn't know she was Cinderpelt's reincarnation when she was my mentor," Ivypool added between licks, "so I'm sure it was Cinderheart who was my mentor."

"What are my grandchildren arguing about?" They both turned to see Cloudtail, whose blue eyes were shining brightly in the sunlight.

"We were…"

"You were right there. You heard us!" Dovewing interrupted Ivypool.

"Of course, of course," Cloudtail meowed, nodding to his granddaughter calmly. "I know that my apprentice's kits will be blessed by StarClan." Ivypool twitched her ears. She still wasn't quite used to her grandfather believing in StarClan. When Cloudtail had seen the warriors of StarClan fighting he had been astonished, but he had been quick to admit he was wrong in not believing in them.

"Of course they will be." Lionblaze had padded over to join them. "Cinderheart is a great cat. I know our kits will be just great…as long as Cinderheart's okay," he added.

"Every queen experiences pain while they give birth to their kits," Cloudtail reminded him, "but if your mother and your brother are with her then I know she'll be okay," he added.

Lionblaze purred. "Thanks, Cloudtail," he meowed. Ivypool twitched her ears. Lionblaze still seemed worried, but not as worried as he had been before. "Hey Ivypool, aren't you supposed to be in the medicine cat den?" Lionblaze asked suddenly.

"Um…no one's in there and it's kind of lonely, so…" Ivypool didn't know what to say. Indeed she was supposed to be sleeping in the medicine cat den. Jayfeather had given her poppy seeds last night, but Ivypool had yet to feel their effect. It was almost sunhigh now and most of the Clan was crowded around the nursery. Squirrelflight had tried to put a few patrols together, but had been unsuccessful. Dovewing had promised her that nothing looked strange at the border. Hazeltail, Mousewhisker, Berrynose, and the toms' apprentices had gone hunting, but everyone else was in the camp.

"Ivypool…" Dovewing began, but Lionblaze cut her off.

"Ivypool never has been one for following Jayfeather's orders," he meowed, purring in amusement. Dovewing and Cloudtail purred as well.

"Hey!" Ivypool protested, but she really couldn't argue. Even before the war, even when she was an apprentice, she'd rarely done what Jayfeather had asked her to as a spy. She'd kept lots of information that she probably should have revealed, but…

"Lionblaze! You can come in now!" Jayfeather's yowl brought Ivypool out of her thoughts. Lionblaze ran away from Ivypool and her kin to inside the nursery.

"I wonder what their kits look like," Cloudtail meowed.

Ivypool cast an amused glance at her sister. "Dovewing? It's sharing time…" she meowed teasingly.

Dovewing sighed. "Fine. There's a golden tabby she-cat and a brown tabby tom with gray paws."

"Do they have names yet?" Ivypool asked her sister curiously.

"No. Cinderheart and Lionblaze are getting to it," Dovewing replied. Dovewing blinked her eyes and turned her head back to Ivypool. "Good?"

"Good," Ivypool replied, nodding in approval. "There you go, Cloudtail."

"Th—thanks," Cloudtail meowed slowly, "I guess."

"You're welcome!" Dovewing meowed.

Cloudtail sighed, turned around, and padded over to where Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were. Ivypool could only guess he was ready to go on patrol.

"Well? How are they?" Poppyfrost asked when Jayfeather padded out of the nursery.

"They're just fine," Jayfeather replied. "One tom and one she-cat."

"Do they have names yet?" Brightheart asked curiously.

Jayfeather nodded, much to Ivypool's surprise. "Mothkit is a golden tabby she-cat and Robinkit is a brown tabby tom with gray paws."

Ivypool glared at Dovewing. "You said they weren't named yet," she meowed. Dovewing's whiskers twitched, but she didn't say anything. Ivypool sighed and shook her head.

"I'm going back to the medicine cat den to treat a patient that better be there by the time I get back," Jayfeather meowed, looking at Ivypool with a knowing glance. Ivypool cast a quick glance at her sister before running through the crowd back to the medicine cat den. She quickly lay down in her nest. By the time she tucked in her paws Jayfeather arrived in the den.

"I see you're sleeping well," Jayfeather meowed. "If you're not tired then you can get up for now, I guess," he added.

Ivypool got up and sat down in her nest. She flattened her ears. She didn't want Jayfeather to pester her about her dreams anymore.

"You know what I'm going to ask," Jayfeather meowed, "so just go ahead and answer it."

"I don't know what you're going to ask," Ivypool muttered, looking away from the gray tabby's blue gaze.

"Are your dreams keeping you awake even though I gave you many poppy seeds? More than I give normal patients?" Jayfeather added.

Ivypool jerked her head to the medicine cat. "More than usual?" she exclaimed. "It felt like nothing!"

"Really?" Jayfeather asked curiously. "Well then…I honestly don't know how to help you."

"I just need time, that's all," Ivypool muttered.

"Time? Ivypool, the war happened when Lilypetal and Seedtail were kits, and now they're warriors! You've had plenty of time! Is the war the only thing haunting you in your dreams?" the gray tabby tom asked.

Ivypool didn't answer.

"I saw Bumblestripe in your dream," Jayfeather continued. "Is something wrong with Bumblestripe? I couldn't hear what was going on between the two of you, but I saw that both of you were mad at each other, and you don't speak to each other in the waking world…was that Bumblestripe's sub-conscience in your dream?" Jayfeather pressed. "Or was that someone else…"

"Just leave it!" Ivypool spat, lifting her head. "They're _my_ problems, not _yours_!" she hissed. She stood to her paws. Her back was now arched and her fur was now bristling.

Jayfeather only blinked. "Bumblestripe doesn't have ice-blue eyes," he meowed. "But I know who does. You killed him. Just like you killed Antpelt."

Ivypool froze. "You know about Antpelt? I never told anyone about…"

"I saw it," Jayfeather meowed. "When you were training everyone for the war, I was thrown into your memory."

"But Hawkfrost is gone now. I killed him when he was already dead," Ivypool muttered. "How could he be in my dream, posing as someone else?"

"I still don't know why Bumblestripe makes you angry, seeing as he's your sister's mate, but if Hawkfrost is posing as someone else…for that matter, if he is still in the Dark Forest, then we have a problem. I've tried getting to the Dark Forest, as many other cats have, and I can no longer get there. I go to StarClan and talk to Yellowfang and Bluestar, but we can't cross the border. It's almost as if…no one's there…"

"I don't care!" Ivypool spat. "My problems are my problems, not yours! I've already told you that. Why do I keep having to tell you over and over again?"

"I—I don't know…" Jayfeather replied. "It's strange, isn't it? I normally don't do this, but…I'm sorry, Ivypool, for whatever I've done…"

Ivypool narrowed her eyes to dark blue slits. "Jayfeather, are _you_ okay?"

Jayfeather nodded, but his blue eyes were blank. "Just go," the medicine cat meowed. "You can leave here. There's nothing you can do."

"Wh—what?" Ivypool asked. "Did you mean _there's nothing I can do for you?_"

"Isn't that what I said?" Jayfeather asked.

"No," Ivypool replied. "You said _there's nothing you can do_."

"Uh…that wasn't me," Jayfeather meowed. The color in his eyes suddenly returned. "Wh—what happened?"

"Someone took over you," Ivypool replied, "or at least that's what it seemed like."

"Then we really have a problem, don't we?" Jayfeather asked. "You're staying here again tonight, right?"

"You just told me to go," Ivypool stammered. "You said _just go, you can leave here_. You said those exact words."

"No I didn't!" Jayfeather exclaimed. When Ivypool nodded, Jayfeather sighed. "Fine. Whatever you want. Are you going to stay in here?"

"I don't really care," Ivypool replied. "I honestly don't care anymore."

"Good. You can stay in here and help me and keep me company," Jayfeather meowed.

"Whichever way the wind…come again?" Ivypool widened her eyes. She was about to say 'whichever way the wind blows,' but she'd caught what Jayfeather said half-way through.

"Well, there aren't a lot of cats in here…" Jayfeather muttered, dragging his tail along the ground.

Ivypool narrowed her eyes. She thought for a moment before yelping in alarm. "You too?" she cried, stepping back.

"You too what?" Jayfeather asked.

"No!" Ivypool spat. Her fur was bristling again. "I won't stay in here anymore, not even if I have greencough!"

"Why not?" Jayfeather exclaimed. "We can play that game your sister came up with, or you can help me with herbs, or we can even go hunting! We can do _something_!"

"No…no…" Ivypool whimpered as she backed away from the medicine cat. "First Bumblestripe, and now you…why? Why is this happening? Jayfeather? Is this really you? Has that other cat still taken over?" Ivypool asked, her voice barely audible.

"It's me," Jayfeather replied, "at my best."

Ivypool glared at him. "I know what you're going to say next, and the answer is no! I swear to StarClan if you ask the question out loud…I'll tell Leafpool!" she spat.

Jayfeather tipped his head. "What's wrong with that?"

Ivypool gasped. Wide-eyed, she spun around and burst out of the medicine cat den, almost running over Leafpool.

"Ivypool?" Leafpool asked. "What's wrong? You look like you've just fought in a war!"

_I feel like I'm about to. _Ivypool forced herself to calm down. She forced her fur to lay flat and she narrowed her eyes so they wouldn't be so wide. "I'm fine," she meowed. "I'm just going to ask Squirrelflight if I can go on patrol, actually."

"No can do," Leafpool replied. "I don't believe Jayfeather has actually given you the okay yet. The way you just looked confirms it."

"No, Leafpool, please…" Ivypool began, but she cut herself off. _This is my problem, not yours,_ she repeated her own words in her head. "I'm just…I'm fine, I swear. You just don't understand…"

"Then explain it to me," Leafpool demanded. "I'm your medicine cat. You can trust me."

"I don't trust your son," Ivypool blurted. She wanted to take it back, but she couldn't. It was too late. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, but she had.

"And why not?" Leafpool asked, narrowing her amber eyes. "Is there something wrong with Jayfeather?"

"I think he's sick," Ivypool replied, breaking her eyes away from Leafpool's amber stare. "He was saying strange things, and…"

"I'll check him," Leafpool meowed, "but you're to stay in camp until further notice. Am I clear?"

"Absolutely," Ivypool replied. Leafpool nodded to her before entering the medicine cat den. As soon as she was gone, Ivypool ran over to Squirrelflight, who was standing at the camp entrance. "CanIpleasegoonapatrol?" she said quickly, perhaps too quickly.

Squirrelflight widened her eyes. "Let's try that again," she meowed slowly.

"Can I please go on a patrol? I'm dying to get out of camp!" Ivypool replied.

"Have Leafpool and Jayfeather deemed you okay?" Squirrelflight asked, narrowing her eyes down to green slits.

"Of course they have! I wouldn't be here if they hadn't," Ivypool innocently reminded her. _Lies, lies, lies…but I have to get away from here for a while! I'm losing my mind!_

"Alright. I was just about to find a border patrol. Find a couple of cats and take them with you, will you? Go over by the WindClan border. I already sent a patrol to the ShadowClan border," Squirrelflight meowed.

"Awesome! Thank you!" Ivypool meowed. She turned quickly and ran into the warriors' den. "Who wants to go on patrol?"

"I'll go," Mousewhisker replied. "Bramblestar wants to continue with Firestar's ideas, so he's getting warriors that aren't normally apprentices' mentors to assess them and see how far they've gotten. Briarlight, Blossomfall, and Bumblestripe are assessing Amberpaw, Dewpaw, and Snowpaw, so I've got nothing else to do."

"Cool," Ivypool replied. She looked around the den. There were a few cats that were asleep, or trying to sleep. "Anyone else?"

"I'll go," Spiderleg meowed.

"So will I," Toadstep meowed.

"Me too," Foxleap meowed.

"Awesome," Ivypool meowed. "I think we have enough. We're going to the WindClan border to mark the scents," she added before exiting the den. Foxleap, Mousewhisker, Spiderleg, and Toadstep were right behind her.

_Patrol! Yay! I actually think I'm getting to lead this, too! Even though I'm not supposed to be outside of camp…this could be fun!_

* * *

**Little did Ivypool know how wrong she was...**

**So…Jayfeather's acting all sorts of weird. What's wrong with him? First Bumblestripe, then Hazeltail even though she can't remember it, and now Jayfeather…why do so many cats want to be Ivypool's mate? And what does Hawkfrost have to do with any of this? You'll figure it out soon enough, don't worry, but first we have to demonstrate just how bad this is…there's more to come than just three for Ivypool. She doesn't want any of it, obviously, but clearly _something_ has happened to her, causing so many cats to be like this to her. Right…?**

**Well, not much else to say. So...end of the chapter! Kirk out!**

**~Icy**


	6. Chapter 05

**So...hi, people... I haven't updated since September. Being completely honest, I forgot about this story. October was competition month for marching band, and it was the end of the first nine weeks, in which I realized I suck at US History because my grade was, uh, let's not talk about that... Anyways, I've been really busy, but I'm going to make it up to you with this update. Now that I'm not so busy, I'm going to try and update once a week. I make no promises that it will happen, but I promise that I'm going to _try. _Well, enough of the apology...let's get to business...**

**This chapter begins the chapters named after song titles. This one is named after a song by Three Days Grace.**

**I'm adding a few details into this chapter, but not many. I'm doing that on purpose. This chapter is, for the most part, supposed to move quickly, so the fewer details the better.**

**Well, that's it for now. I've decided that I'm too lazy to answer all of the review replies right here, so I'll just quickly say thanks for all the reviews and then we can get on with chapter five.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**It's All Over**

* * *

Ivypool must have forgotten what the word 'fun' meant, because this patrol was _not_ fun for her. It was as opposite of that as one could get.

"Why can't we go by the ShadowClan border again?" Toadstep asked.

"Because we weren't ordered to go there," Spiderleg replied to his son. "We were ordered to go to the WindClan border."

"A patrol was already sent over there, wasn't it?" Mousewhisker mentioned to his younger half-brother.

"Can you all stop arguing for once? Can't we just go on a patrol?" Foxleap asked exasperatingly.

Ivypool twitched her ears. She agreed with Foxleap, but didn't say anything. She signaled with her tail for everyone to follow her. Ivypool padded up to the border. The sun was slowly falling behind the green line which was the moorland. Sunset streaked a beautiful mixture of orange and lavender across the sky as the sun left to make room for the moon. Ivypool halted at the border to greet the two cats who were slowly on their way to their edge of the border.

"Hello, Ivypool." A tortoiseshell she-cat with a large white mark on her head padded up to her.

"Hello, Larkstrike," Ivypool greeted the younger she-cat kindly. "How is everything in WindClan?"

"We're fine," a light brown tom meowed curtly.

"Hello, Crouchleap," Ivypool greeted Larkstrike's brother. "Glad to hear it."

"How is ThunderClan?" Larkstrike asked kindly.

"We're doing great," Spiderleg replied sarcastically. "Just great."

"I see he's in a talkative mood," Larkstrike meowed, nodding to Spiderleg.

Ivypool twitched her whiskers in amusement, trying not to purr. "Where's the rest of your patrol? I can only assume you're the border patrol."

"Uh—it's just us," Larkstrike meowed quickly.

"Is everything okay?" Ivypool asked worriedly.

"Just fine," Crouchleap retorted in reply.

"Well, let us know if we can help with anything," Ivypool meowed kindly.

"We can handle our own problems!" Crouchleap snapped.

Larkstrike glared at her brother. "As opposed to what Crouchleap thinks, I'll be glad to let you know if you can assist us with anything. We're fine right now, but if anything ever happens we'll let you know," she meowed kindly to Ivypool.

"Alright," Ivypool meowed.

"Come on, Larkstrike, let's get back to camp," Crouchleap meowed sourly before turning away and running off.

"Crouchleap, wait for me!" Larkstrike cried, turning her head in the direction her brother had run off. "Bye, Ivypool!" She added before running off.

"Bye, Larkstrike," Ivypool meowed kindly, even though her friend couldn't hear her.

"Why are you being so friendly to WindClan cats?" Spiderleg asked curiously.

Ivypool turned around. "There's nothing wrong with being nice, is there?"

"Sure there is!" Toadstep meowed, stepping up beside his father to join him.

Ivypool sighed. "Whatever," she muttered. Raising her voice, she added, "Let's get back to camp."

"Wait," Toadstep meowed. "I have a thorn in my paw. The rest of you get back to camp. I'll catch up."

"Fine," Spiderleg meowed.

"Do you need any help? I can help you," Ivypool offered kindly.

"Sure, thanks," Toadstep meowed.

"Mousewhisker, Foxleap, let's go," Spiderleg meowed, flicking his tail. The mentioned toms followed Spiderleg away.

"Alright, let me see the thorn," Ivypool meowed. "Cinderheart taught me how to get them out…"

"There isn't a thorn," Toadstep meowed. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Wh—what?" Ivypool stammered. _Please don't let this go where I think it's going to go…_

"I knew you'd stick behind to help me," Toadstep meowed. "The thing is, I've been trying to figure out a time to talk to you, but you've always been busy…ever since the war…"

"Well, we've finally finished the repairs to camp," Ivypool meowed awkwardly.

"The thing is, I think you're really brave, Ivypool," Toadstep began, "and I want to spend a lot of time with you. We're friends, right?"

"Uh…sure…" Ivypool replied awkwardly.

"I want to be more than friends," Toadstep meowed. "I want to be more than just friends with you. I want to be your mate. Ivypool, will you be my mate?"

"I—I…" Ivypool didn't know what to say. She couldn't say anything. She looked at Toadstep, who patiently waited for her reply. His amber stare was burning into her pelt. Ivypool struggled to find words. "I…I…"

_Any day now,_ Ivypool thought to herself. Finally making her decision on how to relay the information to the tom, she took a deep breath and meowed, "I'm sorry, Toadstep. You're a nice tom, but…no. We're cousins," Ivypool added, the excuse returning to her in the middle of her explanation. _I didn't think about that, and I really don't care that we're kin, it's just that I don't want a mate!_

"We—we are?" Toadstep asked. He blinked.

"Y—yeah," Ivypool stammered slowly. "Birchfall, my father, is Spiderleg's younger brother."

"Well, I don't care if we're kin or not!" Toadstep exclaimed. "_Cousins_, huh? I don't care if we're _cousins_. That's not that close of kin…besides, it doesn't change how I feel about you! I still love you! So I'll ask it again. Ivypool, will you be my mate?"

_And here I thought I'd dodged it…_ Ivypool took in a deep breath and answered before she could think about it anymore.

"No," Ivypool meowed. "I don't want a mate."

"No?" Toadstep looked like he was about to fall apart into a thousand pieces. "Wh—why not?"

"I don't…"

"You don't want a mate?" Toadstep asked softly, repeating what she had already said. "Why not?"

"I—I…I don't love cats…" Ivypool stammered in reply.

"You don't love your mother and father? You don't love Whitewing or Birchfall? Or Dovewing?" Toadstep asked her, his eyes wide with alarm and shock.

"No, it's not that! I love my family! But I treat my family like my friends…and my friends like my family…and I don't want to change that. I don't love anyone more than anyone else. I'd do anything to protect any of you," Ivypool added softly.

Toadstep closed his eyes. "I…I'm sorry. I'm really trying to understand what you're saying, but…" Toadstep opened his eyes. "I don't."

Ivypool twitched her tail-tip and nodded. "I know. I know you don't. I didn't think you would. No one else that I've explained it to has."

"What do you mean?" Toadstep asked.

"You're not the first cat to ask to be my mate," Ivypool retorted sourly. "I've turned down one cat already…" _Two…but why does it feel like three before him?_ "…and I'm tired of doing so. I'm sorry, Toadstep, but can we…can we please just be friends? No more than friends?"

"Ivypool, I…I can't change the way I feel about you…" Toadstep replied.

"Well, at least you didn't find a replacement…" Ivypool muttered sourly.

"Wh—what?" Toadstep exclaimed. "The other tom…found a replacement?"

"Did I say that out loud?" Ivypool asked, lifting her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to hear that. Can we stay friends? Even though I've turned you down, we can still be…_friends_, right? We don't have to end our friendship because of this, right?" Ivypool added.

"Of course we can be friends," Toadstep meowed. "But…you know that I still love you, right? Even if you don't love me?" he added.

"Of course I do," Ivypool replied. "But I still want to be your friend."

"And I still want to be yours," Toadstep added.

"Cool. Are we cool?" Ivypool asked.

"Absolutely," Toadstep replied.

Ivypool nodded. "Cool." She looked up at the sky. It was pitch black with the exception of the white moon and a few stars. "Oh no…I'm sure Leafpool's noticed I'm gone by now…It's almost moonrise already…what happened to the time?"

"I thought it was only sunfall," Toadstep agreed. "How mysterious."

"Toadstep! Ivypool!" the two cats turned at Foxleap's voice. "Um…what's taking so long? You should have been back at camp a long time ago!"

"A long time ago? It's only been a few minutes!" Ivypool protested. She looked at Toadstep to see her own shock reflected on his face. "Where did the time go?"

"I'm not sure, but Toadstep, you can go ahead back to camp to let everyone know you're okay. I need to talk to Ivypool about something," Foxleap added.

"Uh, sure..." Toadstep replied. "Ivypool, will you be okay?"

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. "Make sure Leafpool isn't in hysterics for me, will you? She told me to stay in camp but I lied to Squirrelflight saying I was good to go."

"Uh oh…" Toadstep meowed. "This should be bad, then…right?"

"Probably," Ivypool nodded. "See you back at camp."

"See you," Toadstep meowed before running off.

When he was gone, Foxleap meowed, "You lied to _Squirrelflight_? Well that won't end well. Trust me, I should know. She was my mentor. Making her mad isn't the best of ideas."

"I know, I know…" Ivypool replied, "…but I needed to get out of camp."

"Most cats that fall off of a cliff aren't so eager to get out of camp," Foxleap meowed. "Especially when they possibly have a head injury. That's what I love about you. You're so brave and always so eager to help your Clanmates."

_Oh no...great StarClan, no..._

"Ivypool, I love you!" Foxleap meowed. "Ivypool, please be my mate!"

Ivypool looked away. She couldn't meet his gaze. _I can't do this! I can't turn down four toms in three days! Why, StarClan…why me?_

"You probably think I love Hazeltail, but I don't. Ivypool, I love _you_! Please believe me! Hazeltail's your friend, right? She's probably told you differently, but…don't listen to her lies! Just listen to _me!_ You can trust _me_, can't you? Ivypool, will you be my mate?" Foxleap repeated.

Ivypool jerked her head up as she was drawn into a sense of déjà vu.

"_Foxleap said he wanted to be my mate but I know that he loves Rosepetal!" Hazeltail exclaimed._

Ivypool blinked. _When did that happen? I remember that, but…I feel like I'm missing something…_

"_You can trust _me." Hazeltail's voice again. _Where do I remember this from? _When _do I remember this from?_

"Ivypool? Hello, Ivypool? Are you okay?" Foxleap asked. He was right at her side.

Ivypool jumped back. "Get away from me!" She snapped, hissing at him.

Foxleap jumped back, his eyes wide with alarm. "Ivypool? Ivypool, are you okay?" he asked curiously.

Ivypool didn't know where her sudden anger came from, but it continued to grow inside of her.

"_Don't ever talk to me again!_" she hissed at the reddish-brown tabby tom. "_Don't even come near me! If you come near me again…__**I'll kill you!**_"

Foxleap was shaking with fear. "Y…yes…yes ma'am…" he whispered. Then he turned tail and ran away.

Ivypool stared after him. Her anger suddenly faded away. "What…what just happened?" she asked herself as she blinked a couple of times. "Foxleap, wait! Come back! Please!"

"That was quite a show you put on." Ivypool whipped around to see Mousewhisker padding out from behind the bushes.

"M—Mousewhisker?" she exclaimed. "Wh—what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Mousewhisker replied, "about the same thing he wanted to talk to you about, except I'm expecting a different answer."

"You want to be my mate?" Ivypool asked coldly, all of her anger returning.

"Yes," Mousewhisker replied simply. His voice and his facial expression showed a soothing calmness, except Ivypool was the opposite of calm.

"What about Icecloud, Mousewhisker? She's expecting your kits," Ivypool meowed coldly. "You're going to be a father, and you're willing to walk away from your mate like that because you want to be my mate instead? _I don't think so. You'd better walk away, or…_"

"Or what?" Mousewhisker asked. "You'll tell Icecloud about what I've asked you?"

"_You won't be around to suffer the consequences of me telling her,_" Ivypool replied coldly, her voice much deeper than before. "_You better leave, __**now**__, or __**I'll kill you and put your remains in your kits' fresh-kill!**_"

Mousewhisker's green eyes were so wide that Ivypool could see the whites around them.

"I will always love you…" Mousewhisker whispered. He stood there a few more moments before letting his fear get the best of him. Ivypool had never seen a cat run as fast as Mousewhisker had as he ran away from her.

Ivypool let out a sigh of relief, only to turn around at the slight ruffle of leaves. She was horrified to see her black-pelted uncle, his brown underbelly barely visible.

"Spiderleg," she greeted him.

"Hello, Ivypool. Hopefully I'll have better luck than them," Spiderleg meowed.

"You want to be my mate?" Ivypool asked coldly, just as she'd asked Mousewhisker.

"Yes," Spiderleg replied. "Daisy…was a mistake. I think you'd be a much better mate. We don't have to have kits if you don't want, but we can still be mates. We can still have fun, if you know what I mean, but…"

"_**Get away from me!**__"_ Ivypool snarled. She stepped forward. "_I __**will**__ rip you into pieces. Don't believe me? Try me._"

Spiderleg backed away from her slowly. "I see your training in the Dark Forest rubbed off on you after all."

"_That's it!_" Ivypool snarled. She leaped at the tom with unsheathed claws. Spiderleg jumped to the left, but Ivypool landed quickly on her feet and changed her direction before Spiderleg could even think about it. Ivypool knocked him down to the ground. She lifted a paw.

"_This brings the end of you,_" Ivypool sneered. "_You never were of any use to me. I tried using _you _to get Firestar killed, but you didn't work and I had to go to Ashfur instead._"

"You're not Ivypool!" Spiderleg exclaimed. "You're…"

Ivypool sliced open Spiderleg's belly. "_And that's enough of that, isn't it?_" Spiderleg tried crying out in pain, but Ivypool shoved her tail into Spiderleg's mouth. Spiderleg bit down on it harshly, but Ivypool simply laughed. "_Shh…it'll be all better soon enough…_"

"Ivypool?" Ivypool whirled around at the sound of a tom's voice. She ripped her tail from between Spiderleg's teeth. When she saw him she felt her anger slipping away. Ivypool suddenly saw the faint shape of a dark brown tabby tom, his ice-blue eyes gleaming.

"_I'll be seeing you, Ivypool,_" he meowed before fading away.

Ivypool widened her eyes as she realized what happened. "Oh StarClan, no…" she whispered to herself. She nearly fell over with shock.

"Ivypool? Ivypool?" The black-and-gray tom ran over to her. "Ivypool, are you okay?"

"Bumblestripe…" she whispered. She leaned on him for support. "No, I'm not okay…it's…it's all over…" she whispered.

"Ivypool, what did you…Why did you kill Spiderleg?" Bumblestripe asked.

"It wasn't me…" Ivypool whispered. "I was angry at him, sure, but…Hawkfrost, he…he did something to me…he took over my body and killed Spiderleg, I swear…Bumblestripe, do you believe me?" she asked.

Bumblestripe stepped away from her. "This is from your training in the Dark Forest?" he asked.

"Most likely," Ivypool replied. _I really don't know,_ she thought to herself, _but what difference does it make?_

"Ivypool, I love you, but…I don't believe you…" Bumblestripe stammered. "Dovewing and Jayfeather sent me to find you after Foxleap and Mousewhisker ran back to camp, both terrified out of their skin. Neither of them will say anything except for your name. Everyone is starting to get concerned. Bramblestar said that if I wasn't back soon he'd send an entire patrol. Are you going to tell him about Hawkfrost?"

"No…" Ivypool whispered. "I'll tell him I found Spiderleg dead and that I froze in horror."

"But what about Foxleap and Mousewhisker? What did you do to them?" Bumblestripe asked.

"Hawkfrost told them I was going to kill them…" Ivypool whispered.

"That's terrible!" Bumblestripe exclaimed. Then he shifted gears. "Hey, why were you mad at them, anyway?"

"They wanted to be my mate," Ivypool replied softly.

"Really?" Bumblestripe asked.

"Yes," Ivypool replied. She got to her paws. "Bumblestripe, thank you for listening to me, but…perhaps it's better if the Clan thinks I'm suffering from a head injury after all."

"A head injury…that's what you're going to tell them?" Bumblestripe exclaimed.

"Yes," Ivypool replied. "Why else would I kill Spiderleg and threaten Foxleap and Mousewhisker?"

"Good point," Bumblestripe meowed.

"Right?" Ivypool muttered. "Perhaps I am suffering from a head injury…" she suddenly whispered. Everything started fading black. She could see a light brown tom in the corner of her eye, green eyes staring at her, but she couldn't focus on it as it ran away because it all just turned black.

"Ivypool? Ivypool!" Bumblestripe exclaimed.

Ivypool felt herself falling before blacking out. Just as her conscience faded she could hear Hawkfrost's sneering voice.

_I'll be seeing you, Ivypool…I won't leave you alone until I bring your world to an end and more…_

* * *

**Ah, the taunting from Hawkfrost continues. He said it's nowhere close to being over, but his direct involvement is going to be set aside for a while as other issues come first...**

**So...Ivypool's threats...kind of lame, yeah? Sorry about that...**

**How many blondes does it take to screw in a light bulb? How many toms does it take to piss Ivypool off into killing one of them?**

**Okay...absolutely terrible pun...I'm sorry...**

**Moving on...**

**Bumblestripe, Hazeltail (who she doesn't remember), Jayfeather, Toadstep, Foxleap, Mousewhisker, Spiderleg, Crouchleap…who's next? And yes, I said Crouchleap. His eyes are green and he's a light brown tom. I left a hint, but you're welcome for telling you ahead of time.**

**Next chapter is going to be a special chapter. It will be titled "You'll Never Know," after the VersaEmerge song. It will be Hazeltail's POV. Like I said, special chapter.**

**See ya next time!**

**~Icy**


	7. Chapter 06

**Here's the special chapter with Hazeltail's POV! There's actually a couple more of them, but for now this is the first one, so it's special! Also, this chapter is named after my favorite song of all time. "You'll Never Know" by VersaEmerge.**

**I proofread this a couple of days ago, so I've had it ready to put up. I'm going to go ahead and put this up here, but I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter up. Each chapter takes longer and longer to proofread and revise because each chapter gets longer and longer. Plus I've decided to get back to writing ABBD, which hadn't been updated for two years until yesterday. Anyways, I'm putting this up here while I can. No school today, so I've had plenty of time for fanfic stuff. Alas, my time is narrowing down, so I'm getting this on here while I can before I go to study for my stupid US History class. (I also have to read the last five chapters of The Scarlet Letter, but spark notes should narrow that down to about ten-fifteen minutes for me...)**

**Just a quick awkward warning, um...originally this chapter had a lot of, uh, let's just say _content_ in it. Well, I've taken most of it out, but there are still some references to it...I don't want to hear any complaints because, for one thing, it's been taken out and there are only references, but secondly, I don't want to hear any complaints because you've just been warned about it.**

**Now that that's aside, on with chapter six! Enjoy the special Hazeltail chapter!**

**(Quick extra note: I took out most of the references to the _content_, too, but if there's anything left then I don't want to hear about it because I reread the chapter for the stuff and didn't find anything too offensive...)**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**You'll Never Know**

* * *

A small gray-and-white she-cat padded across the clearing to the medicine cat den. She padded inside to visit a reddish tabby tom. She watched him with a green stare, his own green eyes staring back at hers. The she-cat purred and curled her tail around her paws.

"Hello, Foxleap," she meowed to him.

"Hi, Hazeltail," Foxleap replied to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting you, of course," Hazeltail replied. "I heard about what happened and I had to come see you."

"No you didn't," Foxleap muttered. "You turned me down."

"I never turned you down," Hazeltail meowed, "I just said I'd have to think about it."

Foxleap lifted his head. "Really?"

"Yes, of course," Hazeltail replied. "I can understand why you'd go to Ivypool, because she really is a great cat, but you shouldn't have done that. Look what she did to you! She said she was going to kill you!"

"She has a head injury," Foxleap meowed. "Jayfeather confirmed it."

"But what if she still meant what she said?" Hazeltail asked, sitting beside Foxleap in his nest. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "What if she's just using it to cover up her actions?"

Foxleap widened his eyes. "I—I…I don't know what to think about that..."

"Rosepetal is a good friend of Ivypool's, right?" Hazeltail whispered to him.

"Of course…that's it! Rosepetal hated Spiderleg because he never paid attention to her even though he's her father…what if Rosepetal convinced Ivypool to kill him? What if, due to her head injury, Ivypool couldn't comprehend properly and was forced to kill him? What if Rosepetal set it up ahead of time so that Ivypool would be confused, which is why she threatened Mousewhisker and me? I used to love Rosepetal, but I don't anymore!" Foxleap exclaimed.

"Do you still love Ivypool?" Hazeltail asked him curiously, forcing herself to move on even though she wanted to admire the story that had literally just written itself.

"No," Foxleap replied. "Err, yes," he added. "Um, I don't know! She's such a nice cat! How can I not? I still love her, even though she threatened me, but…what if her injury is permanent? What if she tries to kill me later…?" Foxleap lowered his voice as he started talking to himself.

"Do you still love me?" Hazeltail pressed. "Because I love you and I'm ready to accept your proposition and be your mate."

"Really?" Foxleap asked, lifting his head up again. "You'll be my mate?"

"Of course!" Hazeltail replied. "Come on, let's go out of camp. Let's..."

"But Jayfeather wants me to stay here because of my shock…" Foxleap protested, interrupting her.

"But Jayfeather isn't here," Hazeltail meowed. "Jayfeather's not a very good medicine cat, is he? He let Ivypool out of camp when she wasn't ready yet."

"Ivypool said she'd lied to Squirrelflight because Leafpool hadn't cleared her," Foxleap meowed.

"But did she say anything about Jayfeather?" Hazeltail asked him.

"No, I guess not," Foxleap meowed.

"Then don't trust Jayfeather's judgment. Come on, Foxleap, you're fine. I just told you I'd be your mate. Let's get out of camp, shall we?" Hazeltail meowed lightly. She looked at Foxleap with her green eyes. Foxleap made the mistake of looking back into hers. Hazeltail forced herself not to laugh as Foxleap's eyes widened and he nodded.

"I love you, Hazeltail," Foxleap whispered. "Let's get out of camp. We can exit through the dirtplace tunnel."

"Of course," Hazeltail replied. "I love you, too, Foxleap," she whispered.

Foxleap was completely entranced. He mindlessly followed her as she led him out of the den and through the dirtplace tunnel.

_Everything's going smoothly,_ Hazeltail thought to herself. _And now for the fun part…_

* * *

**Outside of camp**

* * *

"Where are we exactly" Foxleap asked her curiously. "I don't remember ever coming here before."

"This is part of the territory that we haven't explored through yet," Hazeltail replied. "I know that no one will disturb us here." She paused to take a deep breath. "But there's something I want to show you first."

"Of course," Foxleap replied. "We've got an entire lifetime after all."

_Yours a lot shorter than mine…_ "Good," Hazeltail meowed aloud. "Then follow me." She padded through some holly bushes, through some marigold flowers, and even through some patches of catmint. Foxleap had asked if she wanted to get some for Jayfeather, but she just replied that this should only be for emergencies. In reality she wanted to keep the catmint for herself, for later, when she could use it as a bargaining tool with the other Clans…specifically other toms in the other Clans. Other toms that wanted the same she-cat that Hazeltail wanted.

_Ivypool is _mine_, you foolish pieces of fox dung!_

Hazeltail padded through a frond of ferns and finally stopped. "We're here," she meowed.

Foxleap padded out from behind her. "A cliff?" he asked.

"Isn't the view so beautiful?" Hazeltail asked, padding over to the edge.

"It is," Foxleap meowed as he sat down beside her. "I wish you could have gone to the Tribe with me. The view was really beautiful there, too."

"I'm sure it was," Hazeltail meowed, "but this is as good as we can get here."

"Look at those patches of grass down there," Foxleap meowed. "If anyone were to accidentally fall here, they would probably be okay because the grass wouldn't be hard to fall on."

"You're right," Hazeltail replied. "After all, this is where Ivypool fell."

"It is?" Foxleap asked.

"Yeah," Hazeltail replied. "We came through another route, one that she didn't recognize. Do you want an even better view? We can go higher up if you like. I know how to get higher up. If you fall you'll die, but it'll be such a good view I think it's worth it. We'll be careful, after all."

"Absolutely!" Foxleap meowed. "Let's go!"

"Great!" Hazeltail led the way. She ran this time, as opposed to walking like they did last time. She ran through some bushes and plants before she arrived at the fallen tree. Once they crossed the fallen tree they would be on the other side, where they could climb the cliff side and arrive at the top.

"We have to cross this?" Foxleap asked, the fear not hidden in his voice.

"I've crossed it before," Hazeltail replied. "It's much easier to cross than the one to the island, I promise. It's a different type of tree trunk. Here, watch." Hazeltail ran across the tree trunk without a moment's hesitation. "Come on! It's fine! It's totally worth it!"

Foxleap hesitantly put a paw on the tree trunk. He walked across slowly. He looked down at the bottom and widened his eyes. "Hazeltail, help! I'm stuck!" Foxleap cried.

Hazeltail leaped across, grabbed him by his scruff, and ran across. When she arrived at the other side she set him down.

"Sorry," she meowed, "I thought you would be okay. I've crossed it so many times I forgot how hard it was the first time. I should have told you not to look down. I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay," Foxleap promised. "Let's go to the top! I want to see the amazing view!"

"I'll race you!" Hazeltail challenged him. She leaped up and bounced off before he could agree.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Foxleap cried. They raced up the cliff side and arrived at the top rather quickly.

"We made it!" Foxleap meowed. "You beat me, though."

"I've come up here many times before, so it was probably an unfair advantage for the race," Hazeltail meowed.

"Probably, but I'm okay with that," Foxleap meowed. He padded to the edge of the cliff. "Wow! It's such an amazing view! Better than what I saw at the mountains!"

"Of course it is," Hazeltail meowed. "After all, _I'm_ the one that showed it to you, right? I'm your mate now, Foxleap. Don't forget it. We're mates now, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are," Foxleap replied. "I love you, Hazeltail."

"Come on, then," Hazeltail meowed. She padded over to a frond of ferns on the cliff. "Let's go through here. I want to show you something."

"Anything for you, Hazeltail," Foxleap meowed before padding after her.

Hazeltail padded through the frond of ferns. She arrived at the other side and gasped at what she saw. Last time she'd been here there had been a lot of green grass. Now there were a lot of purple flowers. She couldn't identify them, but she was soothed and content by their precious scent. _It's…beautiful…_

* * *

**Later... (because I'm not about to go into those details...)**

* * *

Hazeltail and Foxleap both looked up at the sky. Foxleap lay next to Hazeltail. The warmth of his fur was comforting against the frosty wind that indicated leaf-bare was close.

"The stars are so beautiful…" Hazeltail whispered.

"They really are…" Foxleap agreed.

"Well, this has been fun, but cats back at camp might start to get worried. It's already moonhigh…we need to get back to camp, as much as I don't want to admit it," Hazeltail added.

"Okay," Foxleap meowed. They both got to their paws.

"We can move our nests next to each other's though," Hazeltail reminded him. "Plus, this doesn't have to be the last time. I want to have kits, after all. I want to have your kits."

"I want you to have my kits, too," Foxleap meowed. "I've always wanted to be a father."

"Come on, let's go look across the cliff one last time before we go back," Hazeltail meowed. She ran through the fronds and then over to the cliffside again. She waited for Foxleap.

"This view is so beautiful…why do we have to leave?" Foxleap asked as they both padded up to the edge.

"Because good times always come to an end," Hazeltail replied. "I have to leave this paradise, and you, well…you have to leave."

"I have to leave paradise, too, right?" Foxleap asked. "That's what you were saying?"

"No," Hazeltail meowed coldly. _The act ends here._

"What's wrong?" Foxleap asked. "Are you expecting kits already?"

_You fool...you know nothing about she-cats,_ Hazeltail couldn't help but think.

"Is this a mood swing?" Foxleap continued into the pit of his stupidity.

"This is the end," Hazeltail meowed. "You aren't my mate."

"But...we're mates now...aren't we? Especially since..."

"Daisy and Spiderleg had kits, but they were never mates," Hazeltail reminded him. "Cinderheart and Lionblaze were mates before they had kits. What I told you was a lie; we aren't mates."

"Then…what has today been?" Foxleap asked.

"I told you that I wanted kits," Hazeltail replied, "and now I probably have some."

"How do you know?" Foxleap asked.

Hazeltail looked at him with a cunning look. "Just a wild guess," she replied. "I know that it's possible. It'd be nice if I were expecting your kits. Let's just hope so and go ahead and say I am." _I don't want to have to do this again with someone else, so I hope this worked... Besides, how do you get so stupid that you fall for what I just said?_

"That's great!" Foxleap exclaimed. "What do you think they'll look like? What do you think we'll name them?"

"Oh, you won't be naming them," Hazeltail meowed coldly.

"Why not?" Foxleap exclaimed. "Don't you want to have my kits?"

"Yes, and I will, but I don't need you to look after them," Hazeltail replied. "I'm done with you. I don't need you anymore. I got what I wanted."

"So what now? You just never look at me again? I can't believe you!" Foxleap exclaimed. "I should have chosen Ivypool after all!"

"I honestly can't blame you," Hazeltail meowed. "Ivypool is…an amazing cat. I love her, Foxleap, a lot more than I love you. I want to be her mate, but two she-cats can't have kits. That's why I needed you. So I can have kits. Now I've got what I need from you and I'm done with you."

"You want to be Ivypool's mate? In case you've forgotten, she's threatening everyone who asks to be her mate," Foxleap reminded her. "Also, she's a she-cat..."

"Not everyone," Hazeltail meowed, ignoring his second comment and only answering his first. "I'm manipulating everyone just the way I need them to. She didn't threaten Bumblestripe, even though he's the father of her sister's kits."

"_Bumblestripe_ asked to be her mate?" Foxleap exclaimed.

"Right before Dovewing told Ivypool she was expecting his kits," Hazeltail replied. "Awful if you ask me."

"I'll take care of our kits, I promise," Foxleap meowed. "I won't be like him. I'll be the best father I can be. I'll be a great father for your kits…"

"You won't get to be their father," Hazeltail meowed. "Ivypool and I will look after them."

"How are you going to keep me from being their father?" Foxleap exclaimed.

"Remember what I told you earlier?" Hazeltail asked him.

"You told me a lot of things earlier that were obviously lies, so I don't know," Foxleap replied.

"Do you think the grass down there will save your life when you fall?" Hazeltail asked.

"If I were to fall, then no, but I'm not falling," Foxleap meowed, tipping his head to the side as his eyes filled with confusion. "Stop talking in mysteries, Hazeltail, and tell me the truth. What's going on?"

"You're falling now," Hazeltail retorted.

"No I'm not—Hazeltail!" Foxleap cried as Hazeltail pushed him off of the cliffside. Hazeltail forced herself not to laugh as she watched him fall. Foxleap fell down and landed with a loud thud. He lay still. Hazeltail saw a large pool of crimson form quickly as blood seeped from the reddish tabby tom's head.

_He's dead,_ Hazeltail confirmed to herself. She turned away from the cliffside. She was about to start her journey back to camp but she remembered something and turned back around.

"Foxleap, you had to die because _Ivypool is mine,_" she hissed.

* * *

**Back at Camp...**

* * *

"I can't punish Ivypool," Bramblestar meowed. "Not when I know she would never do that if she were in her right mind. She has a head injury. Are we going to punish her because she's been injured? No. We're going to keep a closer look on her from now on, but _she will not be punished._ Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes," many meows went throughout the clearing.

"Then this meeting is over. Vigil for Spiderleg will begin now," Bramblestar added before leaping down from the highledge.

Hazeltail glared at him. She knew Ivypool wouldn't be punished, but she suspected that Bramblestar loved Ivypool, too. It seemed that almost every tom in the Clan was falling in love with Ivypool, especially if they already had a mate, and Hazeltail found that strange. She herself didn't know why Ivypool had killed Spiderleg, but she had used it to her advantage against Foxleap.

"Hazeltail, have you seen Foxleap?" Rosepetal asked her worriedly.

Hazeltail turned to Rosepetal. "No, I haven't. Sorry," she meowed to her younger half-sister. "I'm sorry for your loss." _I wanted Foxleap to be my mate at one time, before I fell in love with Ivypool. You wanted Foxleap to be your mate, even though he's your uncle. Guess what? Now no one gets him. _Hazeltail forced herself not to laugh right then and there.

"Spiderleg? Oh, I'm not concerned," Rosepetal replied, not getting her hint. "Honestly, I'm kind of glad Ivypool killed him. He was a worthless father."

Hazeltail had already forgotten about Spiderleg, but she found she could make use of this. She found herself forming another plan in her mind as she worked towards it. She started making the lie the truth, and making her dream a reality.

"Well, I'm going to go check on Ivypool in the medicine cat den," Hazeltail meowed.

"Why?" Rosepetal asked. "She's not your kin or anything."

"Your brother wants to be her mate," Hazeltail replied, "which means my half-brother wants to be her mate. In a way she is kin."

Rosepetal's eyes widened. "Toadstep? For _her_? No way!" she exclaimed.

Hazeltail shrugged before running over to the medicine cat den. She was relieved to find Jayfeather, Leafpool, Squirrelflight, and Dovewing inside, all visiting Ivypool.

"Ivypool!" Hazeltail cried as she skidded to a halt, stopping right beside her.

"Hazeltail?" Ivypool asked her confusedly.

"I heard Rosepetal talking in the clearing. Rosepetal is glad her father is dead. What if…what if Rosepetal convinced you to kill him? Rosepetal said she was glad you killed him. What if she actually convinced you to kill him, but you don't remember? You have other missing memories, don't you? What if you lost the memory itself but the feeling was left behind? What if that fueled the anger you had at Foxleap and Mousewhisker? What if that somehow led you to kill Spiderleg?" Hazeltail meowed quickly. _Thanks for the idea, Foxleap...looks like your stupidity proved to be more resourceful than I thought!_

"That's ridiculous!" Leafpool exclaimed.

"Rosepetal wouldn't do that!" Squirrelflight agreed. "She was my apprentice!"

"So was Foxleap, and he's the cat that Ivypool was mad at," Hazeltail reminded her. Squirrelflight gasped. Hazeltail's whiskers twitched as she tried not to laugh. Luckily no one noticed.

"What if Hazeltail has a point?" Jayfeather meowed. "I didn't think about it before, but you have a good point, Hazeltail. I think you're right."

"So you think it's Rosepetal's fault that Ivypool killed Spiderleg?" Dovewing asked.

"Now I'm starting to make sense of it, too..." Squirrelflight meowed.

"It does make sense..." Dovewing agreed.

"Even I'm starting to see how that would work," Leafpool meowed.

"I'll go tell Bramblestar," Hazeltail meowed. Hazeltail ran out of the medicine cat den and over to Bramblestar, who was standing next to Toadstep and Rosepetal.

"Bramblestar! Get away from Rosepetal! She's a dangerous cat!" Hazeltail cried.

"_What?_" Rosepetal exclaimed, obviously shocked by the outrageous accusation. _Who can blame her? __It _is _insane, but everyone else thinks it's so logical…it's funny!_ Hazeltail's whiskers twitched again.

"She convinced Ivypool to kill Spiderleg!" Jayfeather meowed, skidding to a halt beside Hazeltail. _He's the most convinced out of everyone…why is he so sure of it? He usually just makes sarcastic remarks to everyone and then walks away, as medicine cats don't concern themselves with warrior problems…hmm, I'll have to observe him some more…_

"Why would you do that?" Toadstep spat at his sister before Bramblestar could say anything. "How dare you!" Toadstep attacked his sister.

"Stop!" Bramblestar yowled, but Toadstep and Rosepetal rolled away from them. They fought harshly, ripping at each others' throats, until Rosepetal finally fell over. She lay still.

"Toadstep!" Bramblestar yowled. "You've just killed a Clanmate! And your sister at that!"

Toadstep took a step back. "She killed our father. She had to be punished," he meowed.

"Toadstep, you have to be punished for…"

"Bramblestar, he's grieving," Leafpool meowed. "Some cats are…_unstable_ while they're grieving. It's almost the same as Ivypool's head injury. If you're not punishing Ivypool, then you're not punishing Toadstep."

"Fine," Bramblestar meowed. "Everyone, you heard Leafpool! Rosepetal was at fault, and she has been punished. Toadstep will not be punished for killing the traitor."

Hazeltail watched as Ivypool padded out of the medicine cat den with Jayfeather right behind her.

_Toadstep is the only cat without a mate that loves Ivypool,_ Hazeltail thought to herself. _Wait a minute…_ she took a closer look at how Jayfeather was looking at Ivypool. _Jayfeather loves Ivypool? This breaks the pattern…unless Jayfeather already loves someone…I'll have to look into this…_

Hazeltail continued to observe the she-cat she loved.

_Ivypool…they want to hurt you, but I won't let them. Everything is going to work out like it's supposed to, I promise you. By the time our kits are ready to be born, and we'll be ready to take care of them together, you'll never know of all the cats in the Clans that want to be your mate…you'll only think of _me.

* * *

**I love the song "You'll Never Know." That's why I had to use it as a chapter title for one of the chapters in this story. I think it would have fit in better if it were Honeyfern instead of Hazeltail, but oh well...I still love the song, and I still think it fit the chapter.**

**Hazeltail is messed up, isn't she? She uses Foxleap for kits and then kills him? And then convinces the Clan that Rosepetal was at fault for her father's death? Hazeltail is very manipulative, isn't she? She's willing to do _anything_ to get Ivypool to be her mate and to take care of kits with her.**

**So next chapter is going to be Ivypool's POV again, but I've decided that I really like writing in Hazeltail's POV, so from now on the story will have Ivypool's POV and Hazeltail's POV, not just one special chapter like I'd originally planned.**

**Well, I've got to go, but this was a really long chapter, so if there's a wait it'll make up for it, right?**

**See you next time!**

**~Icy**


	8. Chapter 07

**I'm updating two days in a row? What? Wow! It's only because editing and revising and proofreading doesn't take near as long as writing does, though... Also, I think it's entertaining that I uploaded chapter 06 on 11/06 and now I'm uploading chapter 07 on 11/07...ha, lol...**

**Well...moving on...**

**The odd title of this chapter will be explained later, I promise... I know it seems as far away from canon-like as possible, but the chapter title results from Icy being bored while writing this in the middle of the night and including her oldest cat as a cameo...**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Call the CDC 'Cause We've Got a Love Epidemic**

* * *

Ivypool blinked her eyes open. She stretched in her nest. She looked around the den. She was alarmed to find herself still in the medicine cat den. Then she remembered what had happened a few days ago.

_I killed Spiderleg…threatened Mousewhisker…threatened Foxleap…_

Ivypool turned over in her nest. _I'm not going anywhere any time real soon…they wouldn't understand if I told them that wasn't me…especially since Toadstep killed Rosepetal over it…_

"Ivypool, good; you're awake," Jayfeather meowed, padding over to her. Ivypool stay laying in her nest and watched him rather than getting up to her paws. "How are you feeling?" Jayfeather asked her.

"Better than I'm supposed to be," Ivypool muttered in reply.

"What have I told you about muttering?" Jayfeather snapped. "Speak up, and sit up while you're at it, too."

"Fine," Ivypool snapped as she sat up. "What do you want from the mentally insane cat? Do you want me to retire to the elders' den or something? Do you want me to apologize for killing Spiderleg? Do you want me to leave the Clan?"

"I want the truth," Jayfeather replied solemnly. "The signs show you're getting worse, but I don't think you're getting worse. You yourself just proved that you've gotten much better. I think your anger came from before your fall," he added. "So I think this is something else. I want you to tell me what this is. Ever since your fall you've been having nightmares. You've been muttering about Hawkfrost in your sleep. What has Hawkfrost done to you?"

"He killed Spiderleg, not me," Ivypool replied. "It was him. I swear it was! I know you won't believe me, but…I told Bumblestripe, and he didn't believe me, which is why I didn't bother explaining it to anyone else, but I know that it was Hawkfrost! Just find Spiderleg in StarClan and ask him! You can do that, can't you?"

"I can, but it's not that simple…"

"What do you have to do to prove that I'm not insane?" Ivypool begged. "It was _Hawkfrost_ that threatened Foxleap and Mousewhisker, not _me_! It was _Hawkfrost_ who killed Spiderleg, not _me_!"

"I believe you," Jayfeather meowed. "He took over you; just he took over me earlier that day, right?"

"Y—yeah, exactly, except he controlled my actions, not just my words," Ivypool added.

"You can tell Bramblestar," Jayfeather meowed. "He'll believe you."

"But after Rosepetal's death…which was for nothing, by the way…it's a little hard to tell him," Ivypool meowed awkwardly. "Who was it again that decided it was Rosepetal's fault?"

"Well, it made perfect sense when she said it," Jayfeather meowed, "and if I didn't know about Hawkfrost then it still would."

"Jayfeather, I need to know who said it was Rosepetal's fault first," Ivypool pressed. "Jayfeather, please tell me."

"Anything for you, Ivypool—"

"Not like that!" Ivypool snapped. "I don't know why you feel this way, but you're not yourself, Jayfeather. We've already talked about this, right?"

"I know, but it seems so real…" Jayfeather whispered.

"Wait a minute, what did you say?" Ivypool asked, catching it.

"I said _I know, but it seems so real…_why does it matter?" Jayfeather asked.

"Why did you say that about it being real? I never said it was fake, I just said that you weren't yourself…but that's a good idea, you know…maybe it _is_ fake…an illusion or something…" Ivypool muttered. "Jayfeather, I want your help in figuring this out."

"_Me?_ You're choosing _me_ over all of those other…"

"Not like that," Ivypool meowed, sighing. "Should I get Leafpool's help instead?" she snapped.

"I can do it!" Jayfeather immediately exclaimed. "You just have to trust me!"

"Then I need reason to trust that your judgment isn't compromised," Ivypool meowed.

"Of course it's not," Jayfeather meowed.

"Jayfeather, _you do not love me,_" Ivypool meowed. "Say it over and over until it sticks in your mind."

"I do not love you, Ivypool…I do not love you, Ivypool…I do not love you, Ivypool…I do not love you, Ivypool…but I do! This is so confusing!" Jayfeather exclaimed after a few tries.

"We'll get it to work eventually," Ivypool meowed. "You heard me say Hawkfrost's name in my sleep, didn't you? Then you know that Hawkfrost has done _something_. We just don't know what that is, yet. Whatever he's done has made it to where toms are falling in love with me left and right."

"I can't blame them," Jayfeather put in.

"You _are_ one of those toms, so let me continue without further interruptions," Ivypool snapped. "Aside from you and Toadstep, all of the toms that love me have loved some other cat in their lifetime."

"Toadstep had a crush on me when we were apprentices," Ivypool was surprised to hear Briarlight's meow. Briarlight padded up to them and sat beside Jayfeather. "Sorry, I heard you talking and I wanted to see if I could help. I heard everything so far," she added, "so you don't have to fill in any pieces."

"We didn't ask for your help!" Jayfeather snapped. "This is just Ivypool and me! On our own!"

"Thank you for spending your time with us," Ivypool meowed to Briarlight. "You see the severity of the situation for yourself, don't you?"

"Toadstep used to love me, but when I had my accident Spiderleg convinced him to leave me because I couldn't have kits. I never loved him, so I didn't care. That means that Jayfeather is the only tom without a former love that loves you now," Briarlight meowed.

"Actually, uh…there's something I should probably tell you…" Jayfeather meowed awkwardly, shrinking back as if he was trying to hide behind his own pelt.

"What is it now?" Ivypool asked exasperatingly. Briarlight's whiskers twitched in amusement but she didn't say anything.

"You know about the Ancients, right? The cats before our current StarClan. You know that I visited them, right?" Jayfeather asked.

"I do now," Briarlight meowed.

"I knew before, but only because Dovewing told me about it," Ivypool added. "Dovewing says that the Three are reincarnations of three of the Ancients."

"Yes. Dovewing was Dove's Wing, Lionblaze was Lion's Roar, and I was Jay's Wing," Jayfeather meowed.

"Jay's Wing? I've heard that somewhere before…" Ivypool broke off as she tried to remember where from.

"During the war! One of the Ancients greeted you by that name!" Briarlight exclaimed.

"Oh yeah! It was a white she-cat with green eyes, wasn't it?" Ivypool asked.

"Half Moon," Jayfeather replied. "Her name is Half Moon. Half Moon and I fell in love with each other while I visited them as Jay's Wing in my sleep one time. She told me she'd wait for me forever to see me again. She's still waiting for me in StarClan now. When I die…her wait will be over."

"Then so will yours be," Ivypool meowed. "You still love her now, don't you?" she suspected.

"Really?" Briarlight exclaimed.

"I'm not denying it," Jayfeather replied.

"Think about it," Ivypool meowed to Jayfeather. "Think about Half Moon."

"What about her?" Jayfeather asked.

"When you started talking about her, you forgot that you loved me," Ivypool meowed. "See? It's fake after all! It's just a distraction! And an illusion! Now we just have to figure out what caused it."

"Hawkfrost," Jayfeather snarled. "How dare he do this to you…"

"Easy, tiger," Briarlight meowed cautiously. Ivypool glanced at her friend awkwardly before continuing.

"Now we just need to figure out what he did so we can end this," Ivypool meowed.

"We also need to tell the Clan about it so they can stop being distractions and start being helpful additions to our team," Briarlight meowed.

"What team?" Jayfeather asked. "This is just Ivypool and me."

"Briarlight, you can help us any time you like," Ivypool meowed, "despite what Jayfeather thinks. He'd be really kind to you if he wasn't being deceived by…whatever Hawkfrost has done," Ivypool added, unable to find words to describe it.

"Thanks, Ivypool," Briarlight meowed.

"What?" Jayfeather exclaimed.

"Think about Half Moon," Ivypool meowed to him without looking at him. "Think about Half Moon…"

"Thanks, Ivypool. That helped," Jayfeather meowed.

"Now we just need to tell Bramblestar," Briarlight meowed.

"Thank you, Briarlight, because that reminds me to come back to our original conversation," Ivypool meowed, turning to look at Jayfeather. "Whose idea was it that Spiderleg's death was Rosepetal's fault?"

"It's still hard to believe that Hawkfrost did it…" Briarlight whispered.

"Hawkfrost…I'm going to kill him for doing this to you!" Jayfeather snapped.

"Half Moon…" Ivypool meowed to Jayfeather. She turned to Briarlight. "Well? Whose idea was it?"

"Hazeltail's," Briarlight replied. "It made so much sense, too…"

"Hazeltail?" Ivypool asked. She remembered Jayfeather telling her it was Hazeltail who told the Clan about Ivypool's fall…

"_You can trust _me," Ivypool heard Hazeltail's voice again. She couldn't shake off the sense of déjà vu. She desperately wanted to remember more from this memory, but she couldn't reach as she tried to reach out to it in her mind.

"Ivypool? Earth to Ivypool?" Briarlight meowed.

"Sorry, uh…Hazeltail…it's just…I feel like something's…_off_ about her, but…I can't remember what it is…" Ivypool meowed.

"Your fall!" Jayfeather exclaimed. "You said you were backing away from something when you fell…what if it was Hazeltail?"

"Hazeltail? No! Hazeltail's a good cat! She's my friend!" Ivypool jumped up on her paws as she defended her friend. "How dare you accuse her of doing something to me!"

"Well…she did convince the entire Clan that Spiderleg's death was Spiderleg's daughter's fault, and right after that Spiderleg's son killed said daughter…" Jayfeather added.

"Maybe Hazeltail isn't who she says she is…" Briarlight agreed.

"No! Hazeltail is a good cat!" Ivypool meowed. "Anyone who says differently is insane!"

"Who is insane?" Leafpool asked, padding into the den.

"Uh, um…me…" Ivypool stammered.

"No. We can tell Leafpool the truth," Jayfeather meowed. "She's my mother."

Leafpool lifted her head, amber eyes shining at what Jayfeather said.

"Hawkfrost has done something to Ivypool," Jayfeather meowed.

"We don't know what exactly, but we do know that Hawkfrost took over my body and killed Spiderleg, threatened Foxleap, and threatened Mousewhisker," Ivypool added.

"Not to mention that toms who have already loved someone else in their lifetime are falling in love with Ivypool," Briarlight put in.

"Toms that already have mates falling in love with Ivypool? That's a crazy accusation," Leafpool meowed.

"It's true," Ivypool meowed.

"Really?" Leafpool exclaimed as her eyes widened.

"So far we have Bumblestripe, who is Dovewing's mate, Toadstep, who used to love me, Foxleap, who loved Hazeltail at one time, Mousewhisker, who is Icecloud's mate, Spiderleg, who fathered Daisy's kits, and…well, this is hard to tell you, but…the other one so far is Jayfeather," Briarlight meowed awkwardly.

"No. Jayfeather would never make the same mistake I made," Leafpool meowed.

"It's true," Ivypool meowed. "Jayfeather?"

"It's just…I don't know!" Jayfeather explained. "It's so hard to explain! It's just…"

"Demonstration, please," Ivypool meowed to Briarlight.

"Oh, of course, um…Hawkfrost! I still can't believe he killed Spiderleg…" Briarlight trailed off, looking at Jayfeather. Ivypool waited for his reaction.

"Hawkfrost? I'm going to kill him for doing this to you!" Jayfeather hissed, arching his back as his fur began to bristle.

Ivypool and Briarlight moved their gazes to Leafpool and both burst out laughing.

"Wow! That face was priceless!" Ivypool exclaimed.

"It really was!" Briarlight agreed.

"You two, stop laughing! This is _so_ not funny! Leafpool, um…I can explain…it's just…" Jayfeather trailed off, not finding the words he was looking for.

"Half Moon," Ivypool meowed. "Think about Half Moon."

"Half Moon? I've heard that name before," Leafpool meowed.

"The cat that Jayfeather's loved in his lifetime before me," Ivypool explained. "This is only happening to toms that have loved another she-cat before me. We think Hawkfrost has done something to me to cause this. If Jayfeather thinks about Half Moon then he forgets about his love for me, which leads me to think that his love for me is only an allusion, or distraction, from who he really loves."

"Like a curse of sorts?" Leafpool asked.

"Curse! That's the word! Yes, like a curse," Ivypool added.

"Okay," Leafpool meowed. "This is all starting to make sense, but…if Hawkfrost killed Spiderleg, then wasn't Rosepetal innocent? Did she die for nothing?"

"Yes," Ivypool replied.

"And if Hawkfrost did that, then you're good to go, aren't you? Because you're not insane like we thought you were," Leafpool added.

"Exactly," Jayfeather replied. "Ivypool's never been crazy! She's the smartest cat I know and that's saying something because I'm pretty smart!" Jayfeather added. Leafpool, Briarlight, and Ivypool glanced at Jayfeather before shaking their heads and looking back at each other.

"We need to tell Bramblestar, then," Leafpool meowed. "We need to tell Bramblestar about what Hawkfrost has done."

"What about Hazeltail?" Briarlight asked. "Hazeltail convinced us all that it was Rosepetal's fault Spiderleg died…and then Rosepetal died…if that wasn't the case, then why did Hazeltail do that?"

"I'll talk to Hazeltail while you three talk to Bramblestar," Leafpool decided. "Don't mention Hazeltail or Rosepetal to him. We'll talk about that after I speak to Hazeltail and make an opinion for myself."

"Yes, Leafpool," Ivypool, Briarlight, and Jayfeather replied. Leafpool nodded to them before exiting the den.

"Well, let's go to Bramblestar," Jayfeather meowed.

* * *

**In Bramblestar's den…**

* * *

"You want to run that by me again?" Bramblestar asked, narrowing his eyes. "It wasn't Ivypool who killed Spiderleg?"

"No, it wasn't," Jayfeather replied.

"Bumblestripe saw her kill him," Bramblestar meowed. "Her paws were covered in his blood."

"Yes, but Ivypool wasn't in control then," Jayfeather meowed.

"What does that mean?" Bramblestar asked.

"Hawkfrost took over my body and killed him!" Ivypool exclaimed, getting annoyed by Jayfeather's slowness. "Hawkfrost isn't gone like we thought he was!"

"Hawkfrost? Will I never escape from my brother?" Bramblestar exclaimed.

"_You've_ escaped from his anger," Ivypool told him, "but _I_ haven't. _I'm_ the one that betrayed him during the war."

"Dear StarClan…" Bramblestar muttered. "So what now? What do you suppose we do, Jayfeather?"

"I'm going to interrupt to let you know this confirms I'm not insane, so can I _please_ return to my warrior duties?" Ivypool begged.

"Jayfeather? Bramblestar repeated, ignoring Ivypool. Ivypool lowered her head in disappointment.

"I think we should tell the Clan to watch out for Hawkfrost," Jayfeather replied, "but not about his…curse."

"What curse?" Bramblestar asked.

"Hawkfrost put some kind of curse on me, or that's what we think, at least," Ivypool added.

"Why do you think that?" Bramblestar asked, narrowing his eyes again.

"Well…Briarlight?" Ivypool asked.

"Hawkfrost," Briarlight replied, staring at Jayfeather. "Jayfeather, how do you feel when I repeat what you've said about Hawkfrost taking over Ivypool _and_ putting a curse on her?"

"I'm going to kill him for doing this to her!" Jayfeather hissed. He blinked. "Right. I see what you did there," he meowed. "Ivypool, don't—I'm already thinking about Half Moon, so don't you dare say it."

"He knows us well," Ivypool meowed, exchanging an amused glance with Briarlight, who nodded to her.

"What's going on here? Someone explain this to me!" Bramblestar demanded.

"You see…this curse…any tom who has loved a she-cat in the past is, uh…going to fall in love with me if they haven't already," Ivypool replied.

"That is the strangest thing I've ever heard," Bramblestar meowed.

"Then why have Bumblestripe, Toadstep, Foxleap, Mousewhisker, Spiderleg, and Jayfeather all asked to be my mate in less than a half moon?" Ivypool demanded.

"Great StarClan!" Bramblestar meowed. Then he blinked. "Wait a minute…Toadstep and Foxleap?" he asked, tipping his head to the side.

"Foxleap loved Hazeltail until she rejected him," Ivypool meowed. She felt like her memory was about to come back, but when she tried to grasp it in her mind it slipped away from her. Ivypool slapped her tail against the ground in anger.

"Toadstep loved me when we were apprentices," Briarlight explained, casting a confused glance at Ivypool's tail before looking back to Bramblestar.

"Okay…and what about you, Jayfeather?" Bramblestar asked. "I heard your name in there, too, did I not?"

"This is kind of embarrassing, but…when I visited the Ancients that one time, I fell in love with Half Moon," Jayfeather explained. "When I went to the mountains, I saw her again, and she said she'd wait for me forever. When I join StarClan…her wait will end."

"The same mistake your mother made?" Bramblestar asked. "I'm surprised."

"It's not the same!" Jayfeather exclaimed. "The Ancients…they didn't have a medicine cat, and I was a warrior there and…"

"I'm just teasing you, relax," Bramblestar meowed. "Anyway, this curse causes…toms to fall in love with you?"

"Yes," Ivypool replied. "If they aren't already affected, then they will be soon."

"Bramblestar!" Squirrelflight meowed from outside.

"Come in," Bramblestar meowed.

Squirrelflight padded in. "There's a WindClan patrol here," she meowed. "They wish to speak with you."

"Did they mention why?" Bramblestar asked.

"Who all was on the patrol?" Ivypool asked.

"Why does it matter?" Squirrelflight asked.

"It just does," Ivypool replied. "Who is it?"

"Uh…Harespring, Boulderfur, Crouchleap, and Buzzardpaw, Boulderfur's apprentice," Squirrelflight replied.

"Those are all toms," Ivypool meowed. She turned her attention back to Bramblestar. "It's spreading," she meowed. "The effect of the curse…is spreading."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Bramblestar meowed, shaking his head. "Squirrelflight, they can come in. Jayfeather is my medicine cat and Briarlight and Ivypool are two of my warriors. It's okay," he added when Squirrelflight narrowed her eyes at Ivypool. "Ivypool is fine. I will discuss that matter with you later."

Squirrelflight nodded. She exited the den and returned a few moments later with a brown-and-white tom, a pale gray tom, a light brown tom, and a younger ginger tom.

_Where have I seen that light brown pelt from before?_ Ivypool wondered to herself. _Crouchleap is Larkstrike's brother, and I saw him on that patrol, but…I feel like I've seen that pelt some other place…oh! That's it! _Ivypool felt her memory return to her. Right before she had blacked out a few days ago she had seen a light brown pelt in the corner of her eye. Now she knew who it was. It had been Crouchleap. _How much does he know? Is that why they're here?_ She looked to Jayfeather in hope that he had seen her memory, but Jayfeather was focused on all four of the WindClan cats.

"Hello, Harespring. You wish to speak with me?" Bramblestar asked.

"Yes," Harespring replied.

"Why are neither Ashfoot nor Onestar with you?" Bramblestar asked.

"They do not know that we are here," Harespring replied. "We wish to speak with you about one of your warriors. Spiderleg, we think. He is dead, isn't he?"

"Y—yes, he is," Bramblestar replied.

"Do you know how he died?" Harespring asked.

Bramblestar opened his jaws but then closed them again and shook his head.

"One of your own warriors killed him," Harespring replied. "Crouchleap here saw it. It was a silver-and-white tabby she-cat with ice-blue eyes."

"Ice-blue? Harespring, none of my warriors have ice-blue eyes," Bramblestar replied. "The cat in my Clan closest to matching that description is Ivypool over here, but her eyes are so dark they almost match the sky at nighttime!"

"Crouchleap?" Harespring asked, turning to the light brown tom.

"It was Ivypool," Crouchleap replied. "Her eyes were ice-blue, but perhaps it was just the sun. I recognize the pelt that I saw. It was Ivypool."

"Harespring, thank you for coming, but this is an internal matter…" Bramblestar began, but Harespring interrupted him.

"Ivypool trained in the Dark Forest. She is in here now," Harespring added. "How can you trust her? You should exile her immediately."

"I trust Ivypool with my life," Bramblestar replied, shaking his head. "I will never exile her."

"She killed one of your warriors! You should exile her so she can never return to ThunderClan, so she can be in WindClan with us!" Harespring exclaimed. "So we can fight over who gets to be her mate!"

Ivypool took a step back. She hadn't realized it, but she was shaking. "Now do you believe me?" she asked, glaring at Bramblestar with her dark blue stare.

Bramblestar's amber eyes were wide. "I'm sorry, Harespring, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're making one of my warriors feel very uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable? That's just because she doesn't recognize who she loves yet," Harespring replied. He turned and looked directly into Ivypool's eyes. Ivypool tried to look away, but somehow found herself drawn back into them. "Ivypool, you're mine."

"No, Ivypool is mine!" Boulderfur exclaimed.

"No! She's _mine_!" Crouchleap hissed to the two older WindClan warriors.

"Hey! Give me a chance, too!" Buzzardpaw exclaimed.

Ivypool took a few more steps back until she found herself leaning up against the wall of the leader's den. She was shaking even more now.

"All of you get away from Ivypool!" Jayfeather snarled, taking a few steps towards the WindClan patrol. "She's none of yours! You know why? Because she's _mine_!"

"A medicine cat? Good luck!" Harespring sneered, taking a step towards him.

"Ivypool, get out of here!" Jayfeather meowed to her, looking over his shoulder at her. "I'll protect you."

Ivypool forced herself to swallow her fear and step forward. "Oh please. I can take care of myself. I did train in the Dark Forest after all. Besides, Harespring, Boulderfur, Crouchleap, Buzzardpaw," Ivypool spat each of the WindClan cats' names, "Jayfeather has a better chance than any of you do. At least he's in my own Clan."

"Which is why we're here right now," Harespring meowed. "You killed Spiderleg; you should have been exiled a long time ago. Why haven't you been exiled?"

"I fell off a cliff and had a head injury," Ivypool lied. _It's kind of a lie, anyway..._

"Ivypool, get out of here," Bramblestar ordered her, "before these cats try to tear you apart and eat your remains."

Ivypool looked at Bramblestar with wide eyes. "Now that's just _wrong_!" She exclaimed while she walked to the entrance of the den.

"Ivypool, get out of here," Bramblestar repeated. "_I'll_ protect you. What does a medicine cat know about fighting?" Bramblestar sneered to Jayfeather.

"It's spreading…" Ivypool whispered to Briarlight. "Briarlight, you better get out of here, too. It's not safe in here."

Briarlight looked back at the toms, which were arguing and stepping closer to each other. "They're going to fight." It wasn't a question, it was a matter-of-fact statement. The two she-cats fled from the leader's den without another word.

Ivypool leaped down and landed on the ground evenly. She looked up to see Squirrelflight staring at her in surprise.

"What's happening?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Um…you and Bramblestar need to talk," Ivypool replied. "Right now," she added.

"Okay…" Squirrelflight started to climb up to the den, but Ivypool stopped her.

"You better take a patrol with you…" Ivypool advised.

Squirrelflight's eyes widened. "Why?"

"To make sure the toms in there haven't ripped any throats out," Ivypool replied.

Squirrelflight said nothing but ran into the warriors' den. She came out with Brackenfur, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Sorreltail, and Thornclaw. Squirrelflight ran back over to her. "Are you sure now is a good idea?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. "But, uh…don't let any more patrols come into the camp if they're only toms and no she-cats."

"Okay…why?" Squirrelflight exclaimed.

"And you better take Brackenfur and Cloudtail back and bring two other she-cats," Ivypool added as she noticed how the two senior warriors were looking at her.

"Great StarClan!" Briarlight exclaimed. "Cloudtail, you're Ivypool's grandfather! Brackenfur, you're her great-uncle!"

"What are you talking about?" Thornclaw exclaimed.

"Thornclaw…you're not affected," Ivypool meowed. "You stay. We need to talk to you."

"About what?" Thornclaw exclaimed.

"Come with us," Ivypool replied.

"Squirrelflight!" Icecloud came running over to them.

"Not now!" Squirrelflight snapped.

"But—Foxleap is missing! Mousewhisker and I have looked all over the territory and can't find him!" Icecloud panicked.

"Briarlight, Thornclaw, and I will go look for him," Ivypool promised. "Icecloud, you get back to the nursery."

"I don't take orders from someone that's insane, sorry," Icecloud snapped at Ivypool.

"For StarClan's sake!" Ivypool exclaimed. "Okay, we're telling them when we get back," Ivypool meowed to Briarlight. "Come on, Thornclaw!" she meowed, running out of camp with Briarlight at her heels. Thornclaw blinked before following them.

* * *

**Outside camp…in the forest…**

* * *

"Are you okay?" Thornclaw asked.

"Yes!" Ivypool snapped. "Thornclaw, have you ever loved anyone?" she asked quickly.

"No…why?" Thornclaw asked.

"That explains why you aren't affected! Thank you, StarClan!" Ivypool added.

"_What_?" Thornclaw exclaimed. "What in the name of StarClan are you talking about?"

"Um…we should look for Foxleap now," Ivypool meowed.

"Ivypool! Briarlight! Thornclaw!" Squirrelflight came running over to them.

"Squirrelflight? What's wrong?" Ivypool asked.

"Bramblestar explained everything to me. The WindClan patrol is gone, and…you need to get back to camp. Yes, Foxleap is missing, but we scented a fox close to camp, so we'll find Foxleap later! Protecting the camp is more important!" Squirrelflight exclaimed.

"Okay. We're on our way," Ivypool meowed.

"Ivypool, I'm so sorry for not trusting you before," Squirrelflight meowed. "I should have. Hawkfrost is…a pain in the tail," she added.

"Tell me about it," Ivypool agreed. "Alright, let's get back to camp."

As they ran back to camp, they failed to see the small gray-and-white she-cat dragging a light brown tom into a patch of marigold, throwing his body on top of a pale gray body, a brown-and-white tom, and a ginger body. All four of the toms were dead, and the small gray-and-white she-cat's eyes were filled with hatred.

"No one touches my Ivypool…" the small she-cat hissed.

However, they did notice a large black tom with yellow eyes.

"Uh-oh," the tom meowed. The patrol stopped at looked at him with gazes of confusion. The tom ignored them and continued. "Someone better call the CDC because we've got ourselves a love epidemic."

* * *

**The insanity of featuring my oldest cat as a cameo continues next chapter into more detail...**

**If I think so little of it, then why aren't I taking it out? Three reasons. One, I'm too lazy. Two, I'm not sure what I'd use there instead. Three, cause I love my Kitty. :)**

**This is the note I put in when I originally wrote the chapter...**

_Oh yeah, I didn't put the tom in the allegiances because I literally just decided to put him into the story. I'll go ahead and tell you that his name is Kitty. Kitty is a Norwegian Forest Cat, which explains why he is so large (and why his fur is so fluffy, even though you don't know that yet). Now, you're probably thinking something along the lines of "Wow, that's an original name." Well, Kitty is based off of my cat Kitty, even the name. Yes, I have a black Norwegian Forest Cat that has yellow eyes. Now, granted, in real life Kitty is neutered, declawed, and an inside-only cat, but in this fanfic he is a kittypet who lives in a Twoleghouse in the unexplored part of ThunderClan territory, can go outside whenever he wants, is not neutered or declawed, and can understand Twolegspeak, which explains why he mentioned the CDC at the end of the chapter, which explains the really strange chapter name. Isn't that a line from a song or a quote from a movie or something? "Call the CDC 'cause we've got a love epidemic…" Anyway, Kitty can understand Twolegspeak in this story. Well, I think he can understand it in real life, too, but…that's not the point. We're not here to discuss how strange my cats are…moving on… _

**Is it just me or did part of that note not even make sense? One of those sentences just seemed like a run-on...**

**Well, that's enough for now. Let the insanity continue next chapter...**

**~Icy**


	9. Chapter 08

**Here is Chapter Eight. This chapter's title was originally named "Gone Forever," which is another good song by Three Days Grace. They're just such an awesome band... However, I listened to the song again and realized that it encouraged the loved one to be gone, not expressing any pain, only happiness. My reaction was "Oh crap, that's not what I thought it was! Well, in no way does that fit this chapter anymore..." I recently found a new song I like, called "Rescue Me" by Kerrie Roberts. I found it in the Once Upon a Time OST. It's such a good song. It mentions how "I can't believe this is how the story ends" and that "this can't be how the story ends." Well, I feel like that fits this chapter really well. Pretty much the entire story, actually, but there's already a good song for that. Fun fact, the song "Running Up That Hill" was originally by Placebo, but it was covered by Track and Field for the Warehouse 13 season 3 finale, which is where I first heard the song. I prefer the Track and Field version, actually. The lyrics of that song match this story pretty well.**

**Interestingly enough, while I was editing this chapter in the transition from Word to Open Office I was listening to the song "21 Guns" by Green Day. That song fits this chapter too. Well, you know, if it weren't for the guns and all...**

**I'm updating three days in a row? What? Well, I'm updating today because I won't have a chance to update tomorrow, Saturday, or Sunday. I might not be able to update Monday, either. I don't know what my schedule looks like for next week yet or how much homework I'll have, but I do know that tomorrow I'm hanging out with my family, Saturday with my friends, and Sunday I have the damned Veterans' Day Parade. Don't get me wrong, I respect our veterans and whatnot, I just really don't like parades. When I say "don't like" I don't just mean _don't like_. I really mean _don't like_. Don't like, as in absolutely (insert very long bleep here) hate.**

**Moving on...by the end of this chapter we will finally be able to put the strange cameo of my cat Kitty. By the end of this chapter you won't even remember Kitty anymore.**

**Well, on another note...after reading this chapter...please don't kill me!**

**Enough with my AN. Here's the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

**Rescue Me**

* * *

"I'm sorry…who are you?" Ivypool asked.

"What is the CDC?" Thornclaw asked.

"Why is your fur so…abnormally fluffy?" Briarlight asked awkwardly.

"More importantly than any of those other questions, what are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" Squirrelflight asked, casting a glance at Briarlight, Thornclaw, and Ivypool for not thinking about the territory. Ivypool, Briarlight, and Thornclaw cast amused glances at each other in reply.

"I will answer those questions in order," the black tom replied, his yellow eyes shining in amusement.

"Awesome," Ivypool whispered to Briarlight. "My question's gonna get answered first."

Briarlight lightly cuffed Ivypool over the ear in reply.

"I am Kitty," the black tom meowed. "I live with the humans. My house is just back there," he angled his ears. "The CDC is the Center for Disease Control…it's a human term, so I guess you wouldn't know it if you don't live with the humans, which I can only assume is the case because you're talking about territory. I have no idea what ThunderClan territory is, but I mean no harm."

"And?" Briarlight meowed.

"And? And what?" Kitty asked.

"Your fur…?" Briarlight pressed. "You didn't answer _my_ question, which wasn't last, so you didn't answer them in order. You lied!"

Kitty burst out laughing. Ivypool cuffed her friend over the ear. Thornclaw exchanged an amused glance with Squirrelflight, but neither of them said anything.

"Young 'un, you have a fine sense of humor," Kitty meowed. "My fur is fluffy because I am a specific breed of cat."

"It's not a breed I've heard of," Briarlight meowed.

"Me neither," Ivypool agreed.

"Actually…I don't know of it, either," Thornclaw confessed.

"Me neither," Squirrelflight admitted.

"Well, in that case, my words will sound like nonsense, but…I am a Norwegian Forest Cat. _That_ is why my fur is so…_fluffy_, as the brown young 'un says," Kitty added.

"Sorry," Briarlight meowed awkwardly. "I know that was a bit rude, but…"

"Don't fret it," Ivypool meowed to her friend. She then turned to Kitty. "The house you live in must be a part of ThunderClan territory. There are parts of it that we haven't explored yet, so I can only assume you live there."

"I am the deputy of ThunderClan," Squirrelflight put in. "Ivypool and Briarlight are young, but well-respected, warriors, and Thornclaw is a senior warrior. Bramblestar, my mate, is the leader of ThunderClan, and my son-in-law is the medicine cat."

"Medicine? Then you must be talking about what you get at the vet," Kitty added.

"Um…sure," Squirrelflight meowed. "Anyway, I'm sorry for disturbing you. This is the first time we've been in this part of the territory, so we don't expect you to know who we are. As long as you don't steal our prey, we're fine with you living in our territory."

"I was here first, so good," Kitty meowed. "And what prey? I'd rather eat the food that my people give me."

"I don't think we'll have any problems," Ivypool meowed, stepping forward. "Squirrelflight, didn't you say something about a fox back at camp? Why are we wasting time here with this kittypet?"

"I'm not Kitty Pet. I'm Kitty," the black tom corrected them, staring at them with his yellow eyes.

"Err…sorry. Cats that live with Twolegs, uh, _humans_, well…we call them kittypets," Ivypool explained.

"Right then," Kitty meowed. "Have at it, then. If you're talking about a fox, then I hope you're all okay."

"Thanks!" Ivypool meowed. "Come on, let's go!" she meowed to the rest of the patrol, ignoring Squirrelflight's growl that attempted to remind Ivypool who was in charge.

* * *

**Back at camp…**

* * *

"Where is Lionblaze?" Squirrelflight asked Bramblestar as soon as the patrol skidded into the camp, unsuccessfully halting quickly. Thornclaw ended up bumping into Briarlight, who ended up bumping into Ivypool, who barely kept herself from bumping into Squirrelflight.

Ivypool turned around to glare at her friend. "Smooth."

"Thanks," Briarlight meowed with a light purr. Ivypool sighed and turned to listen to Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's conversation.

"He took a patrol to try and find the fox," Bramblestar explained to Squirrelflight.

"Who was on the patrol?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Lionblaze, Brackenfur, Cloudtail, Mousewhisker, and Dewpaw," Bramblestar replied.

"What if they don't find it and the fox gets here first?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Dovewing will see it before it gets here," Bramblestar promised.

"Where is Dovewing? In the nursery?" Ivypool asked curiously. Her tail-tip twitched as she thought about her sister having Bumblestripe's kits, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to ignore the stabbing pain of Bumblestripe's actions and focus on finding the fox.

"Um…I honestly don't know," Bramblestar replied. He tipped his head to the side. "Where _is_ Dovewing?"

"She didn't tag along on the hunting patrol by any chance, did she?" Squirrelflight asked Bramblestar. "I told Poppyfrost to take a hunting patrol out…"

"Dovewing _loves_ hunting," Ivypool put in.

"Who would know who all Poppyfrost took on her patrol?" Squirrelflight asked. "I assigned the patrols in a hurry because you wanted to tell me about Hawkfrost," Squirrelflight added to Bramblestar, "so I told a couple of cats to choose who they wanted for their patrols."

"What do you want to know about the patrols?" Cinderheart asked kindly, padding up to them. "Mothkit and Robinkit are playing with Amberpaw and Snowpaw. Lilypetal and Seedtail are looking after them, too, just in case."

"Do you know who Poppyfrost took on her hunting patrol?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Yeah. I know who Lionblaze took on his patrol, and all of the other patrols," Cinderheart meowed.

"Well? Who did your sister take?" Squirrelflight prompted.

"Poppyfrost took Hazeltail, Toadstep, Sorreltail, Cherryfrost, and Dovewing," Cinderheart replied. "Do you want to know who Birchfall took on the ShadowClan border patrol? Brightheart's WindClan border patrol is already back because of the WindClan patrol that came to visit, isn't it?" she added.

"Brightheart's patrol is already back, which consisted of Lilypetal, Seedtail, Moleheart, Berrynose, Whitewing, Amberpaw, and Snowpaw," Squirrelflight meowed. "Who was on Birchfall's patrol?"

"Blossomfall and Bumblestripe went with him," Cinderheart replied. "It was a rather small patrol."

"We need to get Dovewing back here," Ivypool meowed. "Especially in case Lionblaze doesn't find the fox. Even if he does, _we_ still don't know where it is."

"Good point," Squirrelflight meowed. "Briarlight and Thornclaw, you two go and find Poppyfrost's patrol and bring it back to camp. We need more warriors here. Cinderheart, go back to your kits. Ivypool, you stay here because we don't have many cats here. Most of the Clan is out on patrol besides Brightheart's patrol that's already back."

"Of course," Ivypool replied.

"Alright. Let's go," Briarlight meowed quickly to her former mentor before running out of camp. Thornclaw quickly followed. Cinderheart left them to go back to taking care of her kits.

Ivypool turned to Squirrelflight. "You want to talk privately, don't you?"

"Who all can you think of in our Clan that hasn't been affected?" Squirrelflight asked, cutting straight to the point.

"Thornclaw," Ivypool meowed. "I haven't really paid attention to everyone, but I know that Bumblestripe, Toadstep, Foxleap, Mousewhisker, Spiderleg, Jayfeather, Bramblestar, Brackenfur, and Cloudtail are all affected so far. And that entire WindClan patrol that came to visit, but they aren't of our Clan."

"Bramblestar's affected?" Squirrelflight exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. "I'm sorry, Squirrelflight. This is all Hawkfrost's fault. It's his curse. Otherwise, none of those toms would ever love me. For StarClan's sake, Toadstep, Foxleap, Spiderleg, Brackenfur, and Cloudtail are my kin! For that matter, Jayfeather is too! Which makes you my kin, too, which makes all of this _very_ strange for me…" Ivypool trailed off as she saw Berrynose watching her from the fresh-kill pile with a look in his eyes that suggested Ivypool was his prey. "I'm gonna go ahead and tell you to add Berrynose to that list."

"Why?" Squirrelflight asked, following her gaze. "Oh. Right."

"Yeah…" Ivypool meowed, shaking her head before returning her gaze back to Squirrelflight. "Anything else you want to talk about?"

"Um…I'm not sure. I'm still trying to process this," Squirrelflight admitted.

"Hey Ivypool!" Moleheart meowed, padding over. "You want to go hunting?"

"There's a shortage of warriors in the camp, a fox on the loose near the camp, and you want to go hunting outside of camp?" Ivypool asked. "_Really_?"

"Well…we could take Seedtail with us…" Moleheart stammered.

"Add him to the list," Ivypool meowed to Squirrelflight. She turned back to Moleheart. "Aren't you helping take care of Mothkit and Robinkit? Cinderheart will kill you if they're harmed in any way."

"Great StarClan I forgot! Thanks Ivypool!" Moleheart meowed before running away.

Ivypool sighed. "This is just awful…"

"It seems like it," Squirrelflight agreed. "Um…does Hawkfrost have anything to do with your fall from the cliff? You actually fell off of a cliff…didn't you?"

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. "Well, I think I did. From what I remember, yeah. I have missing knowledge, such as why I fell off the cliff, but…"

"Hazeltail said you were chasing a squirrel," Squirrelflight meowed. "But that's not something that Ivypool does. You're not that careless. That's the same excuse that Lionblaze and Jayfeather used to cover up what happened to Hollyleaf a long time ago."

"So you don't think I was chasing a squirrel?" Ivypool asked.

"No." Squirrelflight shook her head.

"I don't think I was, either," Ivypool meowed. "I remembered as soon as I woke up the next day what happened, but in the middle of describing it to Jayfeather I forgot it. I had told him I was backing away from someone, but when he asked who…I couldn't tell him because I'd forgotten. I've yet to remember since."

"Weren't you with Hazeltail before it happened?" Squirrelflight asked. "Were you backing away from her?"

"Jayfeather asked the same thing!" Ivypool exclaimed. "Hazeltail is a good cat! She would never do anything like that!"

"Sometimes cats aren't who they seem to be. Hawkfrost and Tigerstar, a long time ago, seemed like good cats in their Clans, but ended up being evil. No one suspected Leafpool of being a mother until her secret was revealed. The cats that were tricked into training in the Dark Forest didn't know it was bad until it was time for the war. Things aren't always what they seem to be. What if Hazeltail isn't who you think she is?" Squirrelflight meowed to her.

"I refuse to believe that Hazeltail did that to me!" Ivypool snapped.

"She led us all to believe it was Rosepetal's fault you killed Spiderleg when it was Hawkfrost's. Granted, Hazeltail didn't know it was Hawkfrost's fault, but…Rosepetal _died_ for _nothing_. What have you to say about that? Hazeltail got her killed, Ivypool. It's very possible that Hazeltail is…"

"I never got to talk to her." Ivypool jumped at Leafpool's voice. Leafpool padded up to them and sat down next to her sister. "She left on patrol after I got the chance."

"When did Poppyfrost's patrol leave?" Ivypool asked curiously.

"Right after the WindClan patrol left," Leafpool meowed. "Hazeltail begged Poppyfrost to take her on the patrol."

"It's almost like she was in a hurry to get out of camp for some reason," Squirrelflight meowed. "I want to know why. Ivypool, go find Hazeltail."

"I thought you wanted me in the camp," Ivypool protested. _Hazeltail isn't a bad cat. Hazeltail isn't a bad cat…_

Squirrelflight was clearly struggling to make a decision. She opened her jaws to say something but was interrupted as a black-and-white tom burst through the thorn tunnel entrance.

"Toadstep," Leafpool greeted.

"Hi Leafpool, Squirrelflight, Ivypool," the black-and-white tom meowed. His eyes were wide. "Wait, there's no time for greetings! Something terrible has happened!" the tom cried.

"What is it?" Squirrelflight and Leafpool asked immediately.

"Someone's been hurt by the fox!" Toadstep meowed, casting a guilty glance at Ivypool every couple of moments.

"Who?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Um…" Toadstep trailed off, not answering.

Ivypool padded closer to the tom. "I don't like where this is going," she retorted.

"What do you mean?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Toadstep, Dovewing was on the same patrol you were. Where is my sister?" Ivypool asked.

"She…she…"

"Ivypool!" Hazeltail burst into the camp, almost running over Toadstep. "Sorry," the gray-and-white she-cat muttered to the black-and-white tom. "Ivypool, I have to show you something."

"What?" Ivypool snapped. "I was in the middle of a conversation with Toadstep."

"It can wait. I was hunting and…I had separated from the patrol, and…I found Foxleap," Hazeltail stammered.

"Where is he?" Ivypool asked.

"He's…dead..." Hazeltail replied slowly.

Ivypool stared at her friend. "Why do you want me to see that?" she asked coldly.

"Because when I found his body…it was on the grass of the cliff…he must have fallen off. The same cliff you fell off of," Hazeltail meowed. "You lived, and he didn't, so I wanted _your_ help determining what the difference was."

Ivypool sighed. "Alright, I'll come. Toadstep, this conversation isn't over," she added before racing out of camp in pursuit of following Hazeltail.

* * *

**At the Coincidentally Familiar Cliff**

* * *

"Over here," Hazeltail meowed.

Ivypool followed her friend. "Hazeltail, when I fell…what happened? I know I wasn't chasing a squirrel, but I can't exactly remember what happened…"

"You can't?" Hazeltail asked, but she didn't seem interested. Ivypool could tell.

"No," Ivypool replied.

"Look," Hazeltail meowed, peering over the edge of the cliff. Ivypool padded to the edge of the cliff. She gasped at what she found.

"Wh—what? I don't understand…" Ivypool whispered. Foxleap's body was indeed on the grass below, all broken and bloodied up. However, there was also a brown-and-white body, a large pale gray body, a light brown body, and a ginger body. It was the WindClan patrol from earlier.

"Ivypool," Hazeltail began.

"What happened to them? How did they get over here? This is the opposite way of the border…" Ivypool whispered. Ivypool lifted her head, her pain reflecting in her eyes. "I didn't want to believe it. The others tried telling me you were bad, even evil, but I ignored it because I knew you were my friend, but…" Ivypool trailed off, shaking her head. She regained herself and lifted her head again. "Hazeltail, I need you to tell me the truth. Did you kill Harespring, Boulderfur, Crouchleap, and Buzzardpaw?"

"I did it all for you," Hazeltail whispered back to her.

"Wh—what?" Ivypool exclaimed. She took a few steps backward, away from the cliff, making sure not to fall again…

Ivypool caught herself in the middle of her own thoughts. Her memory was coming back, and this time it didn't run away from her.

"_I'm your friend, aren't I?"_

"_Of course you are!" Ivypool replied. "You're a great friend at that. And I thank you for it."_

"_Of course! But listen…I was wondering if we could be more than friends," Hazeltail began._

"_What do you mean?" Ivypool asked curiously. "How can we be more than friends? Do you want to be best friends or something? 'Cause…"_

"_That's not what I mean," Hazeltail meowed. "I don't want a mate because I don't love toms. I love a she-cat," Hazeltail added awkwardly._

What in StarClan's name…?

"_Um…who would that be?" Ivypool asked. However, she was dreading the answer she was about to hear._

"_You," Hazeltail replied. "I love you."_

"_Um…I really don't know what to say to that," Ivypool meowed awkwardly. "I didn't know it was possible for she-cats to love other she-cats, but…evidently it is. Let me process that, first."_

"_You were so brave in the war!" Hazeltail exclaimed. "That's just…so awesome! It's so…amazing! I'm surprised you haven't had a tom ask you to be your mate yet!"_

"_Oh, I have," Ivypool muttered. "I turned him down."_

"_How'd he react to that?" Hazeltail asked curiously._

"_I haven't talked to him since. As soon as he left my sister arrived to tell me she was expecting his kits," Ivypool spat._

"_That's terrible!" Hazeltail spat. "This is why we can't trust toms! This is why we should love each other." Hazeltail padded closer to Ivypool. "You can trust me. You can love me."_

"_I can trust you, but I'm not so sure about…that second part," Ivypool meowed awkwardly, backing away from Hazeltail. Hazeltail continued to pad closer to her, and Ivypool backed away until suddenly she found she'd lost her footing. She suddenly saw nothing but sky, and next thing she knew she heard a loud thud as everything went black._

Ivypool gasped. "I remember everything. You…you…" Ivypool was shaking with shock, terror, and anger all at the same time.

"I would never hurt you, Ivypool," Hazeltail meowed. "You fell off the cliff, but I didn't mean for you to."

"How come they died and I didn't?" Ivypool asked coldly, ignoring her former friend.

"I took Foxleap up higher and made him believe he was my mate and then pushed him off," Hazeltail replied. "I killed the WindClan patrol before I brought them here."

"You killed Foxleap?" Ivypool exclaimed.

"He loved you!" Hazeltail protested in reply. "I didn't want him to hurt you. I want you all for myself. I love you, Ivypool, and I don't want anyone else getting in the way of you loving me back."

"I don't love you, Hazeltail," Ivypool meowed. "You're a she-cat. Besides, I don't even love toms! I don't love anyone! I treat my family like my friends!"

"Are we at least friends?" Hazeltail asked softly.

"We were! But not anymore," Ivypool added with a growl.

Hazeltail gasped. "Why not?"

"You killed my Clanmates!" Ivypool cried in reply. "You killed Foxleap and convinced Toadstep to kill Rosepetal! If I didn't know it was Hawkfrost who killed Spiderleg, then I'd say it was you!"

"_Hawkfrost_ killed Spiderleg? He's dead!" Hazeltail exclaimed. "You killed him in the war!"

"He's put a curse on me, so clearly not," Ivypool meowed. Her words suddenly dawned on her and she gasped. "Maybe you've been affected by the curse, too."

"What curse?" Hazeltail asked curiously, her eyes narrowed.

"Anyone who has loved someone else already has or is about to fall in love with me," Ivypool explained. "That's why Foxleap loved me instead of you. That's why Mousewhisker loved me instead of Icecloud. Bumblestripe loved me instead of Dovewing. You get the point…oh great StarClan I didn't finish my conversation with Toadstep!" she cried out.

"What were you talking about?" Hazeltail asked curiously.

"Toadstep said someone on his patrol was hurt by the fox," Ivypool explained. "He wouldn't say who it was. Dovewing was on that patrol! What if she was hurt? What if she lost her kits?"

"What fox?" Hazeltail cried, her fur bristling with alarm.

"Oh, you don't know. There was a fox near the camp and Lionblaze took a patrol to find it. Toadstep was on a hunting patrol that was sent before the fox was scented," Ivypool added. "Come on, we've got to get back to camp!"

"Okay," Hazeltail meowed.

Ivypool stopped herself before running off. "We can work together on patrols and stuff, but I no longer consider us friends," she meowed coldly before running off to camp. Hazeltail silently followed her.

* * *

**Back at camp…**

* * *

"Dewpaw, no!" Ivypool skidded to a halt and stared at the gray body on the camp ground. Brightheart was leaning over her son, whose body was covered with bleeding gashes.

"What in the name of StarClan happened?" Ivypool cried.

"Ivypool!" Briarlight gasped. "You and Hazeltail are back."

"Yeah," Ivypool replied.

"Everyone else is back. They killed the fox…but it was too late," Briarlight meowed sadly.

"Dewpaw is dead?" Ivypool whispered.

"Not just Dewpaw," Briarlight meowed.

"Who else?" Ivypool asked.

Briarlight didn't answer. Ivypool felt a dark pit well up inside of her as she feared who was dead.

"Who else?" Ivypool snapped.

"I'm so sorry, Ivypool!" Briarlight burst. "You have to go see for yourself."

Time seemed to slow down. Everything became quiet. Brightheart's cries suddenly disappeared. The mourning from Amberpaw and Snowpaw became muted. Robinkit and Mothkit's questions to Cinderheart were nonexistent. Ivypool's blood froze. She shouldered her way through the crowd at first, but when cats saw her they eventually made way for her to get through. She ran as fast as she could but everything felt slow when she saw it. She shuddered. Her running was replaced by miserable kit-steps as she drug herself over the middle of camp where the body lay.

The pale gray body.

The body covered in blood.

The body of the one cat she knew best.

The body of her sister.

"Dovewing, no!" Ivypool cried. She rushed forward and nosed her sister's body with the only energy she had left. "Dovewing, no…"

"Ivypool, I'm so sorry," Jayfeather meowed to her. "She's gone."

"No…" Ivypool whimpered. No one said anything to her. Everyone who wasn't related to Dovewing let Ivypool lay down next to her sister's body. There was some sort of ceremony about how Dovewing and Dewpaw would be missed, but Ivypool didn't hear it. She didn't even think about what Hazeltail had just shown to her. All she could think about was her sister, who was gone.

_Dovewing…I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you…_

* * *

**The plot thickens way too much at once! All in one chapter, Ivypool remembers what happened with Hazeltail, she finds out what happened to Foxleap, she finds out the WindClan patrol is dead, and she loses her sister. Just how much worse can life get for poor Ivypool?**

**Anyways, no one wants to read three or four chapters about Ivypool moping around just to cover a moon, so next chapter is going to be one moon later in Hazeltail's POV, and then the chapter after that is a moon after next chapter (two moons from now to me and you) in Ivypool's POV when things start coming to an end. This story has a prologue, 13 chapters, and an epilogue. That's not a lot, I know, but I hate filler, so I don't use very much of it. Filler only happens when I get bored.**

**And I don't want this AN to go on forever...so let's go ahead and put an end to it now...**

**~Icy**


	10. Chapter 09

**Here is chapter nine. The song is by Linkin Park. The lyrics kind of fit in with Hazeltail's thoughts during this chapter as she starts questioning whether she's right or wrong... But while editing I listened to "Falling Down" by Duran Duran. Another great song that could fit this chapter. You could also listen to "Falling Down" by Atreyu. Next in my playlist was "Miss Murder" by AFI. Wow that fits this chapter really well... I have such a variety of artists in my iTunes library...**

**Oh, and, uh...long chapter alert. This chapter's pretty long...you definitely get your update's worth...**

**Oh, and one last note...please don't kill me for killing so many cats...I'd appreciate it...**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

**Leave Out All the Rest**

* * *

The small gray-and-white she-cat watched the silver-and-white tabby she-cat from across the clearing. The gray-and-white she-cat took a bite out of her thrush. She looked back up to see the cat she loved still just standing there, staring out into nothing. A dark ginger she-cat was trying to get her to go on patrol, but the tabby she-cat wouldn't go. She had just lost her sister a moon ago. How could she?

The gray-and-white she-cat got to her paws. _Ivypool…I'm so sorry I took you away…if I hadn't, then perhaps…then perhaps you could have saved her…just like you've saved so many other cats…_ She took a few steps forward, but then hesitated and padded back to where she had been before. _Even though you don't realize it, you saved me, too…from doing something I would have regretted. I'm so glad that I didn't take Foxleap as my mate. You were there instead. You haven't accepted me, yet, because you're horrified at what I've done to protect you…but you'll understand it some day…_

She regained her courage and padded across the clearing. She was about to go comfort Ivypool when a gray tabby tom stopped her.

"Hazeltail, can I speak with you?" Jayfeather asked.

"Of course," Hazeltail replied, trying to hide her anger.

"Follow me to the medicine cat den," Jayfeather meowed.

Hazeltail followed the tom to the medicine cat den. On the way she passed Icecloud, who was staring out into nothing as well. Icecloud's kits had been born the previous night, but all of them had been stillborn. Mousewhisker had tried to comfort her, but Icecloud wouldn't respond. Hazeltail had tried to help her brother, but Icecloud had spat at her. Hazeltail hadn't spoken to the white she-cat since. The grieving queen honestly scared Hazeltail, and Hazeltail wasn't scared by much, if anything at all.

She entered the medicine cat den and gasped when she saw borage leaves lying out. _Are these…for me? Does he know?_

"Hazeltail…I've been watching you lately, and I've decided, from all of the symptoms that I've seen so far, you're expecting kits. Do you…agree with that?" Jayfeather asked awkwardly.

"Yes," Hazeltail replied absentmindedly.

"About how far along are they?" Jayfeather asked her curiously.

"About a moon," Hazeltail replied. "Maybe a little more." It had been a moon since Dovewing had died, and just a little bit longer when Hazeltail had killed Foxleap. Hazeltail had also killed the WindClan patrol, which had consisted of Harespring, Boulderfur, Crouchleap, and Buzzardpaw. Ivypool hadn't told anyone about what Hazeltail had showed to her. As far as ThunderClan knew, Foxleap was missing for good. No one knew that he was dead, but they assumed he was. As for the WindClan patrol…Onestar had been furious at the gathering a few nights ago, blaming ThunderClan for the loss of the patrol, but Bramblestar promised Onestar that that wasn't the case. It had been complicated, but Hazeltail could handle complicated. This was all for Ivypool, after all…

"If I may ask, who is the father?" Jayfeather asked.

Hazeltail glared at him. "You have no right to ask that!" _It doesn't matter who the father is! I just want Ivypool to help me look after these kits!_

"The rest of the Clan will ask," Jayfeather reminded her.

Hazeltail sighed. "Fine. If you must know, and if you find it important to you, then the father is…Foxleap," she finally admitted.

Jayfeather narrowed his eyes. "If I must know…and if I find it important to me? What does that mean?"

"What? You aren't going to comment about how sorry you are that Foxleap is gone?" Hazeltail retorted. "Wow, what a great medicine cat you are."

"I fix wounds, not relationships. I can't bring Foxleap back from wherever he is," Jayfeather meowed. "I'm more concerned about what you said. Why did you say it like that?"

"What doesn't concern you doesn't concern you," Hazeltail meowed coldly in reply. "May I go?"

"One more thing," Jayfeather meowed. "I need to find out about when the kits are due, so if you could…"

"They're due in about a moon. All you had to do was ask," Hazeltail retorted in reply. "I'm leaving to go comfort the cat I love."

"I thought Foxleap was your mate!" Jayfeather exclaimed in shock.

"Just because he's the father of my kits doesn't mean I love him," Hazeltail meowed. "I'm more interested in someone else. Do you want to know who?"

"I'm a medicine cat. I don't care about it," Jayfeather retorted.

"Oh, but you do," Hazeltail teased him. "I've seen the way you've look at Ivypool. It's that curse she was talking about, isn't it? Which means that you've loved someone else before her…I want to know who."

"It's none of your business!" Jayfeather snapped.

"But we don't want you to make the same mistake as your mother, do we?" Hazeltail asked him, blinking her eyes in fake innocence. "Come on, Jayfeather, let's be honest here."

"It doesn't matter!" Jayfeather growled. "It's one of the Ancients." He muttered softly.

"That fought with us during the war?" Hazeltail asked in shock.

"Look, it's on a need-to-know basis, and you really don't need to know, so I'm not saying anything else," Jayfeather meowed coldly.

"That's okay. I've figured out who it is," Hazeltail meowed. "It's the white she-cat with green eyes. Half Moon. She called you Jay's Wing. I could only assume at the time you knew each other. Now I know why. Thanks," she meowed. "I'm leaving."

"Don't leave," Jayfeather meowed. "I need to find out how much you know."

"It's on a need-to-know basis, and you really don't need to know," Hazeltail teased him in reply.

Jayfeather, however, glared at her. "You don't understand the situation here. Those of us that know Hawkfrost killed Spiderleg are wondering why you wanted Rosepetal dead."

"What? I didn't want Rosepetal dead!" Hazeltail exclaimed. "I just wanted Ivypool to become innocent, even if she wasn't! I didn't know Hawkfrost killed Spiderleg until the day Dovewing died!"

Jayfeather blinked. "Why would you want to prove Ivypool was innocent?"

"I've seen the way you look at Ivypool," Hazeltail repeated. "I'm only saying this next part once. _You can't have her_."

"Says who?" Jayfeather growled.

"_She's mine_," Hazeltail hissed.

"Wh—what? But you're a she-cat!" Jayfeather exclaimed in shock.

"Then leave it alone!" Hazeltail snapped. "I want _Ivypool_ to help me care for these kits, not that worthless heap of fox fur!"

"Foxleap? Did you do something to him?" Jayfeather asked coldly. "Of course. You convinced Toadstep to kill his own sister. Why wouldn't you kill the father of your kits?"

"You make me sound like a cold-blooded killer," Hazeltail meowed. "I'm not what you think I am. I just want to protect Ivypool from all of the toms that want her. Why do you think I took out that WindClan patrol?"

"That was _you_?" Jayfeather exclaimed.

"You know too much," Hazeltail meowed suddenly. _What do to…what to do…got it!_ She suddenly changed the topic. "These are your last borage leaves, aren't they? Do you want some more?"

"I do," Jayfeather replied.

"Come on, I'll help you get them," Hazeltail meowed. "I found a large patch in an unexplored part of the territory that I think you're going to love to see."

"Great!" Jayfeather exclaimed, completely fooled by Hazeltail's sidetracking plan.

Hazeltail led Jayfeather out of the den and out of camp. As she left she failed to see a gray-and-white tom following her.

* * *

**At the highly familiar cliff place…**

* * *

"Wow! Look at all this marigold! That's a large patch of borage! Is that catmint? Great StarClan that'll be really convenient in the upcoming leaf-bare!" Jayfeather exclaimed.

"Come on, there's some more over here," Hazeltail meowed, tipping her head. She led Jayfeather to the edge of the cliff. The gray tabby tom was looking at the branch to cross into higher ground.

"Is there more up there?" Jayfeather asked.

"Absolutely," Hazeltail replied. "Want to cross it?"

"You bet I do!" Jayfeather meowed. Hazeltail almost purred in amusement at how easily he had fallen for her plan, but she forced herself to hold it in.

She bounded lightly across the branch. Jayfeather crossed it more slowly, but didn't complain. He was much better at this than Foxleap. _Perhaps I should have taken him instead of Foxleap for the father of these kits…no, he wouldn't have done it. I'm lucky to have gotten him this far._

When he was across, she took him through patches of multicolored flowers. Jayfeather was gasping at random herbs that Hazeltail didn't even identify. She finally got him to the edge of the cliff, almost leaving her patience behind, but she managed to keep it with her.

"What's down there?" Jayfeather asked curiously, not looking over the cliff.

"Take a look for yourself," Hazeltail replied. Her heart beat faster. This was the moment.

Jayfeather leaned over and gasped. "Foxleap! The WindClan patrol! Is this where you killed them?" he asked. He tried to step back, away from the edge, but Hazeltail blocked his way.

"You're going to join them," she growled at him.

"What? No! You can't! I'm one of the Three!" Jayfeather exclaimed.

"Such a shame, I know," Hazeltail meowed. "But you know too much. I can't have you here anymore. I'm sorry, Jayfeather. I need to protect Ivypool. I don't want any toms getting in my way, or her way. I don't want anyone to hurt her."

Jayfeather's harsh gaze softened. "I understand. I love Ivypool too, but…it's my time to join Half Moon, isn't it?" he asked softly.

"Yes," Hazeltail replied, taking advantage of the situation she barely understood. "It's time for you to leave Ivypool and join your true love."

"Did you ever love Foxleap?" Jayfeather asked kindly.

"At one time I did, yes, but then I fell in love with Ivypool and realized I didn't love him at all," Hazeltail replied.

"You've been affected by the same curse I have," Jayfeather meowed. "Please help Ivypool rid of this curse. Perhaps I can help more from StarClan, but you'll do your part from down here, won't you?"

"Of course I will," Hazeltail replied. "I wasn't affected by the curse. I _really do_ love Ivypool. It's not just a curse for me. I will do _anything_ to protect her."

"Good," Jayfeather replied simply. He looked up at the sky. "Firestar, Hollyleaf, Dovewing, Half Moon…I'm ready to join you," he meowed.

"I don't need to push you off, then?" Hazeltail asked, the shock not hidden in her voice. _This is __too_ _easy! It shouldn't be this easy! Not for Jayfeather!_

Jayfeather shook his head but said nothing. He stepped off of the cliff without hesitation. Hazeltail leaned over and stared off the edge in disbelief. Jayfeather had just thrown away his life to be with the cat he loved.

_I would do the same for Ivypool,_ Hazeltail realized. She backed away from the edge and gasped when she brushed her pelt against fur. She leaped to the side and turned back to see the gray-and-white pelt of her brother.

"Mousewhisker!" she exclaimed.

"I can't believe you killed Jayfeather," Mousewhisker meowed. "For what?"

"For Ivypool," Hazeltail replied without hesitation. "She's _mine_!"

"She's _mine_!" Mousewhisker spat at her.

"Guess we're going to have to settle this the old way," Hazeltail spat back at him.

"What would that be?" Mousewhisker hissed.

"We fight to the death," Hazeltail snarled before leaping at her brother and easily pinning him down. She was much stronger than he was. She was better at killing than he was. She didn't even think about how Mousewhisker, although twice her size, was struggling under her grip. She didn't even think about it when she sliced her claws down his belly, or when she ripped off her brother's fur chunk by chunk. She leaped back off and let him get up.

"You're giving in?" Mousewhisker asked weakly, losing lots of blood.

"Quite the opposite," Hazeltail replied. She dragged Mousewhisker over to the edge of the cliff. "Say hello to Foxleap for me," she meowed coldly before throwing her brother off the edge of the cliff. She heard the cries of her brother as he begged for help. She was satisfied when she heard the loud thump of his fall and looked over to see he lay unmoving.

_Good,_ Hazeltail meowed. _I'm two steps closer to getting Ivypool now that Jayfeather and Mousewhisker are dead._

As Hazeltail padded back to camp, she noticed the pain in her heart from killing her brother, but she ignored it, convincing herself it was the right thing to do.

* * *

**Back at camp…**

* * *

"Hazeltail! Thank StarClan you're here," Ivypool meowed, running up to her.

Hazeltail stared at her "friend" in shock. _Ivypool is speaking to me? I thought this was a one-sided relationship..._

"I can't find Jayfeather!" Ivypool fretted. "I wanted to ask him if he's seen Dovewing in StarClan, just to make sure she's okay, and he wasn't in the medicine cat den! We searched around camp and around the territory and can't find him!"

"You can always just go to the Moonpool yourself," Hazeltail suggested.

"What about Jayfeather, though? Where is he?" Ivypool fretted.

"I don't know," Hazeltail replied. "I'm sorry."

"If two of the Three die…I don't know what I'll do…or what Lionblaze will do…" Ivypool whispered.

A sudden thought struck Hazeltail. _Lionblaze is the father of Cinderheart's kits…if what Jayfeather and Ivypool said about some sort of curse is true, then Lionblaze…will be after Ivypool as well. I can't let him do that…I have to get rid of him…_

"Bramblestar! Squirrelflight!" Sorreltail came running into the camp with Poppyfrost, Lilypetal, and Seedtail at her heels. They were followed by a mottled gray tom, two light brown tabby toms, and a dark brown tabby tom. They smelled of RiverClan.

Hazeltail cast a glance at Ivypool. Ivypool's eyes were wide with fear.

"RiverClan," Ivypool whispered to no one in particular. Hazetail was the only one that heard her. "Four RiverClan toms. First WindClan, and now RiverClan…"

"Ivypool, are you okay?" Hazeltail asked, concerned for the cat she loved.

Ivypool turned to her, her dark blue eyes almost pale. "Hazeltail, please…I don't want to ask you of this, but…I fear there will be a ShadowClan patrol coming. Will you make sure there isn't? Just you and I can take a patrol to border the ShadowClan border and take a look. What do you think? I don't want to be here with this RiverClan patrol, so…will you go with me? Please?"

"Of course," Hazeltail replied without hesitation. She wanted nothing more than to kill all four of the toms on the RiverClan patrol, but she couldn't refuse helping her friend. _Even if you will never love me, I will always love you, and do whatever you ask me to…I will do anything for you, Ivypool, even if you don't know it, and even if you don't accept it..._

"Come on, let's get out of here," Ivypool meowed.

"Alright," Hazeltail agreed. The two of them ran to the camp entrance, but Squirrelflight stopped them.

"Ivypool, Hazeltail, there is a RiverClan patrol here. Don't you want to stay here?" Squirrelflight asked.

"We were going to patrol the ShadowClan border," Hazeltail replied.

"Good idea," Squirrelflight meowed.

"No!" a light brown RiverClan tom meowed. "Ivypool should stay."

"I agree with Rushtail," another light brown RiverClan tom meowed.

"Mallownose, Rushtail, stop speaking my thoughts," a mottled gray tom meowed.

"Mallownose, Rushtail, Pebblefoot, can't you tell we're annoying Ivypool?" a dark brown tabby tom meowed.

"Thanks, Hollowflight," Ivypool muttered.

"She spoke to you!" Mallownose, Rushtail, and Pebblefoot all exclaimed in unison.

Hazeltail widened her eyes. _Maybe this curse is real after all…these cats…are all…they're all acting like they love Ivypool as much as I do…but _I _love Ivypool for real…I haven't been affected by the curse…have I?_

"Ivypool, Hazeltail, you had better get out of here," Squirrelflight meowed. "Take Lionblaze with you, though, so the patrol isn't so small."

"Okay," Ivypool replied.

"There he is," Hazeltail meowed, spotting the golden tabby pelt among the crowd. "Lionblaze!" she yowled.

Lionblaze looked up, saw her, and came running over. "What's up?"

"Will you go on patrol with Ivypool and Hazeltail?" Squirrelflight asked him. "Over by the ShadowClan border, since the border patrol didn't get to finish."

"Sure," Lionblaze replied. "Let's go."

* * *

**Nearing the ShadowClan border…**

* * *

"Why do I get the feeling the two of you wanted to run away from the camp?" Lionblaze asked them as they neared the ShadowClan border.

"Just a hunch," Hazeltail replied when Ivypool said nothing.

Lionblaze stopped and turned around. He was in front, and Ivypool and Hazeltail were side by side behind him. "Seriously, though. I'm starting to get worried. I feel like something's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Hazeltail replied. "Well, Ivypool is still disappointed about losing Dovewing, but she should be, so it's completely understandable."

"Why run away from a RiverClan patrol, though?" Lionblaze asked. "Ivypool knows cats from the other Clans pretty well, so she should be saying hello to them, not running away from them."

"They're toms…" Ivypool whispered. "They're all toms…"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lionblaze asked curiously.

"It's all Hawkfrost's fault!" Ivypool snapped. "He's done this to me!"

"What has he done to you?" Lionblaze asked, the shock in his voice obvious. Hazeltail forced herself not to laugh.

"He's put a curse on me! All toms that have previously loved someone or have a mate are falling in love with me!" Ivypool snapped. "I'm surprise you haven't been affected yet!"

"Are you sure he hasn't been?" Hazeltail asked, taking a step backwards from Lionblaze. She motioned to Ivypool to do the same. Ivypool lifted her head and widened her eyes before stepping farther backwards than Hazeltail had. Lionblaze's amber stare was burning into Ivypool's dark blue gaze with the intent of catching prey in it.

"Ivypool _is_ a great cat," Lionblaze began. He crouched down as if he was about to leap and catch his prey.

"Lionblaze, no!" Ivypool cried. "Think about Cinderheart!"

"How can I?" Lionblaze asked, slapping his tail against the ground. "How can I think about some useless lump of gray fur when I've got _you_ to think about?"

Hazeltail froze. _That's exactly what I told Jayfeather about Foxleap!_ Hazeltail thought the thought she didn't want to think. _Is my love for Ivypool all a part of a stupid curse? No! It can't be! My love for Ivypool feels so real!_

"Hazeltail, you should leave us for a while," Lionblaze meowed, flicking his tail as he got ready to pounce.

"No…no…" Ivypool muttered horrified, stepping back step by step.

"Come on, Ivypool. Admit your love for me," Lionblaze meowed.

"No!" Ivypool cried. "This is all part of a curse! Listen to yourself, Lionblaze! Think about Cinderheart! Think about it! Please!" the trembling silver-and-white tabby she-cat begged.

Lionblaze ignored her pleas for help and leaped at her. Hazeltail leaped at him and bowled him over, sending him flying away from Ivypool.

"Hazeltail!" Ivypool gasped.

Hazeltail cast a look at her friend. "Ivypool…please forgive me for what I'm about to do…"

"What are you—no!" Ivypool cried.

"Ivypool, he's going to rape you, if not kill you, if I don't!" Hazeltail cried in reply.

Lionblaze leaped at Hazeltail and sent her flying. "Get out of my way!" he hissed.

Hazeltail quickly got to her paws. "No you didn't," she spat.

Lionblaze snorted. "Try me."

Hazeltail leaped at the golden tabby tom again. Lionblaze swatted her away with a large paw, but Hazeltail didn't let that stop her. She unsheathed her claws and sliced them down Lionblaze's pelt. She was horrified when nothing happened.

_His power!_ She remembered. _Great StarClan! I can't do anything!_

"Ivypool, follow me!" Hazeltail cried. "We've got to distract him!"

"What?" Ivypool asked.

"I have a plan, so just follow me!" Hazeltail cried. She ran away through a few fronds of ferns and turned around. She was relieved to find that Ivypool had followed her after all. However, Lionblaze was almost on her tail. Hazeltail ran faster.

She was taking them to the cliff.

She lightly bounded across the tree-bridge to cross over to the higher cliff. Ivypool quickly followed her, not having any difficulty at all. When Ivypool was on the other side, she skidded to a halt to catch her breath. Hazeltail skidded to a halt and turned around.

"Ivypool, we can't stop!" Hazeltail cried.

However, Ivypool's eyes showed her content. "He can't make it over here," she meowed.

Her words were true. Lionblaze was staring at them with hatred in his eyes. The tree-bridge was too small. It would shatter if Lionblaze stood on it.

"I'm getting over there!" Lionblaze cried. He crouched down and took a large leap across the huge gap. Ivypool shuddered as Lionblaze's claws grazed the rocks in front of them. Lionblaze was about to fall through the middle. Lionblaze suddenly looked up at them. His amber eyes were not nearly as intent as before.

"Lion…blaze?" Ivypool asked.

"Please! Help me!" Lionblaze cried.

"Hazeltail, we have to help him!" Ivypool cried.

"Always so kind, Ivypool…this is why I want you…" Lionblaze meowed admiringly. The intent in his gaze returned. Ivypool began trembling again. The certainty in her gaze faded.

"We can't help him," Hazeltail meowed sadly.

"Why not?" Ivypool exclaimed.

"He's going to hurt you," Hazeltail replied. "I can't let him do that to you."

"But it's…_Lionblaze_, Hazeltail. He's one of the Three!" Ivypool cried.

"So was Jayfeather when he jumped off of the cliff earlier," Hazeltail meowed.

"You killed Jayfeather?" Ivypool exclaimed.

"I was going to, but I didn't," Hazeltail immediately defended herself. "Jayfeather jumped off the cliff before I had the chance to push him. When I told him I wanted to save you, he told me he could help more from StarClan, alongside Half Moon," she added.

"So Jayfeather…killed himself to save me?" Ivypool whispered.

"Yes," Hazeltail replied.

"And Lionblaze…" Ivypool trailed off. She and Hazeltail both looked into Lionblaze's eyes, which were staring at them.

"Please help me…" Lionblaze begged. "I just want love from the cat I love…"

"You have it," Ivypool meowed. She padded forward. She put a paw on Lionblaze's paw. "Cinderheart is the cat you love, not me. She needs you, Lionblaze. Your kits, Mothkit and Robinkit, need you."

"But, Ivypool…I love _you_ now," Lionblaze meowed. "Who cares about Cinderheart? All I care about is you, Ivypool."

"That's why I can't help you back up," Ivypool meowed. "If you aren't able to accept your mate and kits, then I can't let you go back to them."

"But you were going to save me!" Lionblaze exclaimed.

Ivypool cast a glance at Hazeltail. Hazeltail nodded to her encouragingly and Ivypool turned back to Lionblaze.

"Please…I just want love from the cat I love…" Lionblaze whispered.

"I can relate," Hazeltail meowed. "It's tough when your love isn't returned, but you get over it."

"You have a mate and kits," Ivypool insisted. "Now is your last chance."

"No. I'd rather die than have to be with them and not you," Lionblaze insisted.

Ivypool lifted her paw and stepped backwards. She bowed her head. "Then I'm sorry, Lionblaze, but this curse has affected you too much. Your power makes you invincible. If you were ever to try and force me to love you…Lionblaze, you are one of the few cats I cannot defeat. I trained well in the Dark Forest days, but you're much stronger than I am. This is the only form of self defense I have, Lionblaze. I'm so, so sorry…please say hello to Dovewing, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf for me," Ivypool added.

"I will," Lionblaze whispered. His claws finally gave out. The golden tabby tom fell down into the deep black pit. Hazeltail and Ivypool padded to the edge to peer over. Hazeltail could no longer see him, but she knew he was dead when she heard a loud thump. In the corner of her eye she saw Ivypool shudder.

"Come on," Hazeltail meowed. She padded away from the edge. "It's not safe. We don't want to end up like him."

Ivypool silently padded away.

"Ivypool," Hazeltail began, but Ivypool interrupted her.

"All of the Three are dead," Ivypool meowed. "What are we going to tell the Clan about Lionblaze?"

"Nothing," Hazeltail replied. "He attacked you, because of the curse, and then ran away. We didn't follow him. After we checked with the ShadowClan border we tried to find him to see if he had returned to normal and couldn't find him. He'd gone missing, like so many others."

"You came up with that lie so easily," Ivypool meowed.

"You get used to it after a while," Hazeltail meowed kindly, cautious not to upset Ivypool. The silver-and-white tabby she-cat had enough to worry about right now.

"I can relate," Ivypool meowed. "When I was spying in the Dark Forest I got used to lying a lot, too."

"Ivypool, Lionblaze said something about love that wasn't returned…" Hazeltail began.

"Hazeltail, I still want to be friends," Ivypool meowed slowly. "I've had a moon to think about it. Now that I've seen Lionblaze like this…I mean, before I thought it was just because you didn't want them to get me or hurt me, but now I understand that they _will_ eventually hurt me…"

Hazeltail didn't say anything when Ivypool paused. Ivypool continued.

"I forgive you for killing that WindClan patrol, and honestly, if you can find a way, then you can kill that RiverClan patrol for all I care, too," Ivypool added.

"Ivypool, I want to make sure that's what you want," Hazeltail meowed slowly. "I want to make sure that you're not just grieving, in a lot of pain, and making unjust choices."

"I've made up my mind," Ivypool meowed stubbornly, not phased by Hazeltail's comment. "Let's get to ShadowClan already."

"You don't want to go back to camp?" Hazeltail exclaimed.

"We may as well have something about ShadowClan to report to Squirrelflight to support the lie," Ivypool meowed.

"Alright," Hazeltail agreed. As she followed Ivypool to the ShadowClan border, she couldn't help but think, _is Ivypool okay?_

* * *

**At the ShadowClan border**

* * *

"There's a patrol," Hazeltail announced aloud. Ivypool continued to stay silent, which worried Hazeltail even more. She turned back to the ShadowClan patrol that was coming up to them. It consisted of a light brown tabby tom, a dark gray tom, a skinny ginger tom with green eyes, and a large brown tabby tom.

"Hello Owlclaw, Scorchfur, Stoatfur, and Sparrowpaw," Hazeltail greeted them, speaking so Ivypool didn't have to.

"Well, this is convenient," Owlclaw meowed. "We don't even have to go to the camp."

"There's someone with her, though," Scorchfur meowed.

"Should we get rid of her?" Stoatfur asked.

"Let's kill her!" Sparrowpaw cried.

"I'd like to see you try!" Hazeltail snarled. "I'll take on all of you!"

"Don't fight!" Ivypool growled at all of them. The ShadowClan patrol immediately stood still. Hazeltail did the same. They all stared at Ivypool, waiting for her to say something else.

"Hazeltail, you know what to do," Ivypool meowed.

Hazeltail widened her eyes. "Wait, seriously?" she asked.

"Go ahead," Ivypool replied coldly, flicking her tail.

"If you're sure..." Hazeltail meowed.

"Look! There she is!" Hazeltail and Ivypool exchanged a horrified glance as they recognized that voice.

"The RiverClan patrol!" They exclaimed in unison.

"Pebblefoot, Mallownose, Rushtail, and Hollowflight," Scorchfur greeted them.

"Why are you doing on ThunderClan territory?" Owlclaw asked curiously.

"Are you about to come onto ShadowClan territory to get back to your own territory?" Stoatfur sneered.

"Good luck!" Sparrowpaw sneered. "You'll have to get past us!"

"We don't want anything to do with you crowfood eaters!" Mallownose spat. "We just want Ivypool."

"But _we_ want Ivypool!" Scorchfur gasped.

"Then I guess we're going to have to fight for it," Pebblefoot meowed coldly.

"Guess so," Owlclaw agreed.

"Attack!" Stoatfur cried.

"Attack!" Rushtail hissed.

Hazeltail and Ivypool barely jumped out of the way in time to not get hit as Hollowflight attacked Scorchfur and sent him flying. Scorchfur landed with a loud thump, winded. Hollowflight took the chance and easily killed the dark gray tom.

"His training from the Dark Forest…I wish I had never taught him what Hawkfrost taught me…" Ivypool whispered. "I wish…"

"Stop wishing," Hazeltail meowed. "Stop wishing about the past and start wishing about the future."

"Why? What's so special about the future?" Ivypool asked her.

"I'll do whatever it takes to make sure your future is much better than your past," Hazeltail promised her.

"It won't take much," Ivypool retorted.

"Seriously, though," Hazeltail meowed. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I…"

"Die, river-scum!" Stoatfur cried as he sliced his claws down Rushtail's belly. Rushtail yelled out in pain but soon stopped as he lost too much blood. The light brown tabby tom was dead before Hazeltail could say mouse.

"Rushtail, no!" Hollowflight cried. He leaped at Stoatfur, ready to revenge Rushtail's death. The skinny ginger tom's body was quickly laid down beside Scorchfur's body.

"Scorchfur! Stoatfur!" Owlclaw cried.

"Rushtail!" Mallownose exclaimed.

"Take this!" Sparrowpaw cried, leaping at Mallownose. The brown tabby apprentice swiped his unsheathed claws across Mallownose's face, most likely blinding his vision. The light brown tabby tom stumbled back as he yowled in pain.

"My eyes! My eyes! I can't see anything!" Mallownose cried.

"Die, RiverClan!" Sparrowpaw cried as he took a swift bite at Mallownose's neck, finishing with the killing blow. Mallownose's body fell down beside Rushtail's body.

"I don't have to kill them," Hazeltail whispered to Ivypool. "They're killing each other…"

"Mallownose, no!" Pebblefoot exclaimed. The mottled gray tom leaped at Sparrowpaw, but Owlclaw, who was Sparrowpaw's mentor, leaped in front of him to protect him. Owlclaw was sent flying.

"Owlclaw!" Sparrowpaw cried, but Hollowflight held him down, forcing him to watch as Pebblefoot killed Owlclaw. Owlclaw's body soon landed beside Scorchfur's. Pebblefoot's jaws were dripping with Owlclaw's blood.

"You're next!" Hollowflight snarled.

"No!" Hazeltail cried. She leaped out at Pebblefoot and pinned him down. "If you kill Sparrowpaw, I'll kill Pebblefoot!"

"Why?" Hollowflight exclaimed.

"Four warriors against three warriors and an apprentice to two warriors against one apprentice? What part of that is fair?" Hazeltail exclaimed.

"All is fair in love and war," Hollowflight meowed.

Hazeltail dug her claws deep into Pebblefoot's neck. She dug her fangs deep into Pebblefoot's neck until he dropped dead. Hazeltail then leaped off of the tom and spat out his blood on the ground.

"Yuck!" she exclaimed. "RiverClan blood tastes disgusting!"

"Let me go! Please!" Sparrowpaw begged. "I don't want to die! I'll surrender!"

"Like the Dark Forest you will!" Hollowflight spat.

"Hollowflight, you're better than this!" Ivypool exclaimed. "Come on, let him go."

"But…"

"Please," Ivypool begged.

Hollowflight sighed. "Anything for you," he finally meowed.

"You'll let him go?" Ivypool asked, her voice showing how surprised she was.

Hollowflight laughed and dug his teeth into Sparrowpaw's neck. Sparrowpaw yowled in pain as Hollowflight threw him across the clearing. The large brown tabby apprentice landed with a loud thud and never got up.

"Of course not," Hollowflight replied. "Ivypool, I want you all for myself. I'm even willing to kill to get to you."

"You'll have to get through me, first," Hazeltail spat. "You just killed that apprentice in cold blood! Besides, Ivypool isn't yours. She's mine!"

"I'd like to see you try," Hollowflight sneered.

Hazeltail leaped at the tom and sliced her claws through his pelt, leaving behind chunks of dark brown tabby fur on the ground. She chose to bite into his neck for the finishing blow. She quickly jumped back and padded over to Ivypool.

"Ivypool, are you okay?" Hazeltail asked worriedly.

Ivypool's eyes were wide. "Eight cats just died because of Hawkfrost's curse…I can't take this for much longer…"

"I'll help you fix this," Hazeltail promised. "Jayfeather will help from StarClan. We're going to fix this."

"What if there's no fixing it?" Ivypool asked. "What if the only answer is for me to not be here?"

"You're going to kill yourself?" Hazeltail asked, her eyes wide with shock.

"No, but maybe I could run away," Ivypool pondered aloud. "Or maybe I will kill myself..."

"Those are terrible ideas," Hazeltail meowed. "Please don't leave me, Ivypool. I need you."

"So do a lot of toms," Ivypool retorted.

"I don't think my love for you is because of the curse," Hazeltail meowed. "I really do love you. I even want to raise kits with you."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Ivypool retorted.

"I'm expecting kits," Hazeltail meowed. "They're about a moon along. They're Foxleap's."

"So…you got him to father your kits right before you killed him?" Ivypool quickly connected the dots.

"Yeah," Hazeltail replied.

"…Why?" Ivypool asked.

"I want you to help me take care of them," Hazeltail replied. "You'll be a better father than any tom could ever be! Please help me take care of these kits!"

Ivypool's eyes widened. "I—I…I have to think about it."

"Really?" Hazeltail exclaimed. "I don't get an automatic no?"

"I don't know what to think anymore!" Ivypool exclaimed frustratingly. "All I can think about is this stupid curse! And what do we tell Squirrelflight? That ten cats died today because of the curse Hawkfrost put on me? How well is that going to go over?"

"Probably not so well," Hazeltail replied.

"Exactly!" Ivypool spat. She then flattened her ears. "I'm sorry, Hazeltail. You're trying so hard to help me and I just keep yelling at you for various things. I really do appreciate everything you're doing to help me."

"Really?" Hazeltail asked happily.

"Yes," Ivypool replied. "But don't expect any more from me right now. I honestly can't handle any more right now. You understand that, don't you?"

"Of course!" Hazeltail replied.

"Alright. Let's get back to camp and report to Squirrelflight and Bramblestar about what a mess Hawkfrost has made," Ivypool meowed.

Hazeltail nodded. "We need to do something with these dead bodies, first, but then we'll go back to camp. May StarClan help us not get in any trouble."

"Agreed," Ivypool meowed before padding over to Sparrowpaw's body and picking it up by the scruff.. As Hazeltail went to do the same with Hollowflight's body, she couldn't help but think, _Ivypool, no matter what happens…I will always love you…_

* * *

**Well, this chapter was…special. There was slight fluff between Hazeltail and Ivypool…Okay, I'm going to stop right there. I hate the word fluff. Let me start over. _Please_ let me start over. Okay, thank you...**

**Well, this chapter was…special. There were a few HazelXIvy moments for anyone that really likes that couple, although that probably applies to no one. That doesn't even apply to me myself, so…moving on from that topic. There were cats dying left and right this chapter, weren't there? Let me review all of them just in case you've forgotten.**

**Jayfeather jumped off the cliff, Hazeltail killed Mousewhisker, Lionblaze fell between two cliffs, and the rest died from the battle at the border: Owlclaw, Scorchfur, Stoatfur, Sparrowpaw, Mallownose, Pebblefoot, Rushtail, and Hollowflight. That's a lot of dying cats for one chapter, even if the chapter was long. The only reason Berrynose lived and Mousewhisker died is because Berrynose is so annoying I didn't want to put him in. That saved his life. Think about that for a minute… (insert Jeopardy theme) Okay, and we're done here!**

**Fun fact: The original title of this story was "Runaway," which is a great song by Bon Jovi. However, I soon realized that it didn't fit this chapter very well because it only applied to a minor idea and not the entire story. I find that "Running Up That Hill" works much better.**

**I tried keeping the characters in character, or at least Jay, Lion, Ivy, and our RUTH Hazel, but I'm not sure how I did...let me know if you think any of them were too OOC... **

**Well, that's about it for now. If you think all of the deaths in this chapter were heartbreaking, or at least Jayfeather's and Lionblaze's, then you've got quite the amount of pain coming up soon. Just thought I'd let you know.**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Look forward to next time!**

**~Icy**


	11. Chapter 10

**Sorry this update took so long. Life has been pretty busy lately. This long update should make up for it, though.**

"**Breathe Today" is a great song by Flyleaf. I recommend listening to it.**

**Well, um...we're really starting to get to the unlikely and nonsensical stuff in this story... This chapter has some really deep sad moments, but there are also some moments when you're probably going to be thinking "What the hell am I reading...?" You know what? I am totally okay with that. I'm just fine. I think it's reasonable to think that, actually.**

**So, moving on...**

**Chapter ten. The beginning of the end. Are you ready for it?**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

**Breathe Today**

* * *

Ivypool felt pity for Cinderheart well up inside her. Cinderheart wasn't even watching Mothkit and Robinkit as they threw a piece of fresh-kill back and forth across the clearing. Normally Cinderheart would scold them and tell them they should only eat fresh-kill, not use it as a toy, but the gray tabby queen didn't care at the moment. Ivypool knew why.

_This is my fault,_ she thought.

Ivypool padded over to her former mentor. She was standing outside of the nursery.

"Cinderheart," she meowed carefully.

Cinderheart lifted her gaze from the ground. "Hey, Ivypool," she rasped.

Ivypool widened her eyes. "You aren't sick…are you?"

"I don't know; I don't care," Cinderheart replied. "All I know is that Lionblaze is gone. Jayfeather is, too. They both went missing on the same day. Why have so many cats gone missing? From what I've heard, the patrols from ShadowClan and WindClan have been acting strange. Do you think they have cats missing as well?"

"I don't know," Ivypool lied. _They aren't missing; they're dead! Because of me! It's all my fault!_

"Ivypool, you don't look so well," Cinderheart meowed.

"Neither do you," Ivypool retorted to her former mentor.

"You haven't been the same since Dovewing died," Cinderheart meowed.

"Same for you and Lionblaze," Ivypool commented.

"Lionblaze isn't dead, he's just missing," Cinderheart meowed. "I have to believe that! I have to believe that to keep moving! I don't believe that Foxleap, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze are dead. I just believe that they're missing. Besides, Foxleap has kits to come back to that he doesn't even know about…"

Ivypool and Cinderheart glanced into the nursery to see Hazeltail sleeping with four young kits at her belly. Ivypool shuddered. Hazeltail hadn't named the kits yet, even though they were already a half moon old, because Hazeltail wanted Ivypool's help in naming them.

"Are you going to the Gathering tonight?" Ivypool asked, trying to change the subject.

"No. Icecloud and I are watching Hazeltail's kits so Hazeltail can go," Cinderheart replied. "I'm not letting you change the topic that easily, though."

"I can try, can't I?" Ivypool asked, not moving her gaze from the sleeping Hazeltail. Two moons ago she would have absolutely refused to help Hazeltail, but now…even though Hazeltail's love for her was kind of creepy, Ivypool couldn't deny that Hazeltail was different from all of the others. Sure, everyone affected by the curse was willing to kill, but Hazeltail…Ivypool couldn't explain it, but something just felt different about Hazeltail to her.

While Ivypool was worried about Hazeltail and Cinderheart, she also had to dodge all of the toms in the Clan. Squirrelflight kept helping her avoid them on patrols, but Ivypool usually went hunting on her own these days to avoid the problem altogether. Almost every tom in the Clan was in love with her now. Ivypool couldn't stand it. It was like a nightmare.

_What if the only answer is for me to not be here? What if the only solution is for me to run away?_

Ivypool gasped when she felt a tail-tip on her shoulder. She looked over to see Bumblestripe. Ivypool's discomfort immediately settled in, leading to Ivypool jumping away from the gray-and-black tom. Bumblestripe looked at her through shocked amber eyes.

"What's wrong, Ivypool?" Bumblestripe asked. Ivypool looked around for Cinderheart, but she realized that Cinderheart had gone back into the nursery with her kits while she'd been in her thoughts.

"Everything's okay, Ivypool," Toadstep promised her from behind her. Ivypool forced herself not to jump in alarm. Her fur was bristling as she dug her claws into the ground beneath her.

"You two, leave me alone!" she spat, quickly losing her patience.

"What's wrong, Ivypool?" Bumblestripe repeated, but his eyes were no longer kind. His eyes were filled with the same look that Lionblaze's had been filled with a moon ago.

"Ivypool, don't let Bumblestripe bother you," Toadstep meowed kindly.

_Out of all the affected toms, Toadstep is the least…touchy,_ Ivypool chose her words carefully in her mind. _He accepts what I told him, unlike everyone else. Toadstep still loves me, I know, but he's never tried to force me to be his mate…I wonder why…_ Even though Toadstep was kinder than the rest, Ivypool still had distrust for toms these days, whether they were affected or not. Sadly, the only toms in the Clan that weren't affected were Thornclaw and Birchfall. Birchfall was directly related to her. Ivypool could only guess that was the reason he wasn't affected, but she honestly didn't know the real reason.

"Ivypool! Bramblestar wants to talk to you!" Briarlight meowed from across the clearing.

Ivypool took the chance to run away from Bumblestripe and Toadstep. She nodded to Briarlight before bounding up the highledge and bursting into the den without asking to come in first. She let out a sigh of relief when she skidded to a halt. She had made it without being disturbed by any more toms.

"Ivypool," Bramblestar meowed.

"Yes?" Ivypool asked. She looked around the den and realized that no one else was in there. _Squirrelflight must be on patrol,_ she decided.

"Come closer," Bramblestar meowed. "I need to tell you something."

"Um…on second thought, I think I'll leave…" Ivypool muttered, beginning to back up.

"Stop!" Bramblestar snapped at her. Ivypool froze in fear. Bramblestar was her leader. She couldn't just disobey him! _I hate you, Hawkfrost!_

"Are you going to disobey your leader?" Bramblestar asked.

Ivypool glared at him with a dark look in her eyes.

Bramblestar widened his eyes. "Great StarClan!" he cried out.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?" Ivypool sneered. She had learned a trick from Squirrelflight a half moon ago. If she acted as cold as Hawkfrost then she could get away from Bramblestar, who kept trying to do this everyday.

"Ivypool…you…I just wanted to tell you that you're going to the Gathering tonight," Bramblestar meowed coldly. "I wanted to give you a friendly good-bye before telling you that I'm done trying to win you. Squirrelflight is plenty for me. You're too much like Hawkfrost, who mentored you in the Dark Forest. You disgust me, Ivypool. Just seeing you makes me want to kill myself."

Ivypool was shocked. She wasn't sure whether to feel insulted, disgusted, or relieved. She simply nodded her head.

"Don't you have anything to say to me before I never see you again?" Bramblestar hissed.

"We'll see each other again," Ivypool meowed kindly. "Maybe you'll finally leave me alone, though."

"I refuse to live with you in my Clan," Bramblestar meowed. "You're going to the Gathering tonight so that the other Clan toms, who want you so badly, can have you. I'm getting rid of you tonight. Go to whichever Clan you feel like, but _don't_ come back to mine!"

Ivypool gasped. Her sense of relief was gone as fast as it had come to her. "You're _exiling _me? After all I did for you in the war?"

"All you did for me? All you did for ThunderClan? How do I know that wasn't just a random act of kindness? You act too much like Hawkfrost! You're a danger to the Clan!" Bramblestar snapped. "Besides, I've seen the way you are. You don't like being here with all of these toms, either, so just leave! Just leave us! And don't come back!" Bramblestar growled.

"I thought better of you," Ivypool meowed coldly. "I really thought you were better than this."

"So what?" Bramblestar asked.

"I'm going to tell ThunderClan you're exiling me. You want them to believe I'm leaving of my own accord, don't you? Too bad. I'm not going to let it happen," Ivypool snarled. "You've done this to yourself, Bramblestar."

"Done what?" Bramblestar asked her coldly. "You can't do anything to me."

"Just wait and see how I'm about to end your life," Ivypool hissed before turning around and running out of the den. She leaped down from the highledge in one giant leap. She landed lightly on all four paws right next to Squirrelflight, who was calmly eating a shrew.

"Ivypool!" Squirrelflight exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Squirrelflight, I need your help," Ivypool meowed.

"What is it now?" Squirrelflight asked. Squirrelflight had gotten used to Ivypool asking for favors, such as changing patrols and such. Ever since Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing had died, Ivypool had gone to Squirrelflight, Leafpool, and Hazeltail for help, but Hazeltail couldn't help as much now that she had kits to care for.

"Bramblestar has exiled me," Ivypool meowed, "for existing. He says I'm too much like Hawkfrost."

"You used the trick again because he wanted to talk to you?" Squirrelflight asked.

"Yes," Ivypool replied. "He's finally gotten over it, actually. He no longer cares for me. He says that he refuses to live while I'm in his Clan, so…either I leave or he dies. What do you think?"

"I don't know what to think…" Squirrelflight meowed slowly. "I find it hard to believe he's my mate."

"I'm sorry," Ivypool began, but Squirrelflight cut her off.

"Don't apologize," Squirrelflight insisted, as she had done many times before. "This is _not _your fault. This is _Hawkfrost's _fault. I told Bramblestar a long time ago to watch out for his half brother, but Bramblestar had insisted it was fine to be with him. If only the Bramble_claw_ from back then could see how corrupted the Bramble_star_ is now because of his half brother."

"I don't know what to say," Ivypool meowed. "Bramblestar said he was taking me to the Gathering to get rid of me and give me to the other Clans, who want me so badly."

"That's it!" Squirrelflight cried. Lowering her voice, she meowed, "Ivypool, you said that Lionblaze and Jayfeather weren't lost, but killed, because they loved you, right? Do you know who did it? Can you get them to do it to Bramblestar to the point where he'd lose all of his nine lives at once?"

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. "I know where they did it, actually. They showed me. I was with them when it was Lionblaze. How about you and I do it instead?"

"Why can't the same cat from before do it?" Squirrelflight asked.

"She is sleeping with her kits," Ivypool replied.

"Who's sleeping with whose kits?" Ivypool jumped at the familiar voice.

"Hazeltail!" she exclaimed. "I thought you were sleeping!"

"I'm awake now," Hazeltail meowed kindly. "Ivypool, I'm ready to name my kits. I was wondering if you'd help me."

Ivypool gave Hazeltail a long look.

"It's been a moon since I asked," Hazeltail added.

"Fine," Ivypool gave in. "I'll help you name them. But nothing more than that!"

"Awesome! Thank you!" Hazeltail meowed.

"I have a favor to ask, though," Ivypool meowed.

"What? Anything I can do to help," Hazeltail meowed kindly.

Ivypool lowered her voice to where only Squirrelflight and Hazeltail could hear her. "Bramblestar has gotten out of paw. He's exiled me. He refuses to live while I am still in the Clan. He wants to throw me away and let the other Clans have me at the Gathering tonight."

"That's terrible!" Hazeltail exclaimed.

"I've been told that Jayfeather and Lionblaze were killed, not lost," Squirrelflight meowed softly. "Hazeltail, was it you that killed them?"

"Yes," Hazeltail replied.

"Can you do the same to Bramblestar?" Squirrelflight asked.

"But he's your mate!" Hazeltail gasped.

"I'm willing to accept his death," Squirrelflight meowed. "He's not the same as he used to be. He's changed so much because of this stupid curse. He rarely ever spends time with me anymore, and when he does it's just to complain about how mean Ivypool has been to him or how he has so many enemies to get past before he can get her."

Ivypool twitched her ear but said nothing. Hazeltail cast an amused glance at her before looking back at Squirrelflight.

"Just do what you have to do," Squirrelflight meowed to Hazeltail. "I'll make sure someone looks after your kits while you're gone."

"Icecloud is already looking after them for me," Hazeltail meowed. "Losing all of her kits a moon ago has really hurt her. I know she feels better when she cares for Cinderheart's kits or my kits."

"Okay," Squirrelflight meowed.

"You can come with me," Hazeltail reminded them. "It's not hard. Besides, I may need your help getting Bramblestar to the cliff."

"We can tell Bramblestar we found a new threat to the Clan!" Ivypool meowed as the idea struck her. "Or we can tell him we found Lionblaze and Jayfeather," she added in a lower voice.

"We'll tell him the second," Squirrelflight decided. "Ivypool, you can come with us, but you should hide behind and follow us. No offense, but Bramblestar won't come if you're with us."

"No offense taken," Ivypool meowed. "Can I bring Briarlight with me, though?"

"Why?" Squirrelflight asked curiously.

"Briarlight's one of my best friends," Ivypool replied. "I just want her with me."

"Uh, sure," Squirrelflight decided. "Alright. Come on, Hazeltail."

"Okay," Hazeltail meowed. Squirrelflight and Hazeltail then left to Bramblestar's den. Ivypool looked around the clearing for Briarlight and quickly found her talking with Poppyfrost and Berrynose.

"Briarlight!" Ivypool yowled.

Briarlight looked over to her. She meowed a quick farewell to Poppyfrost and Berrynose before bounding over to her. "What's up, Ivypool?"

"I want you to come with me for something," Ivypool meowed.

"Sure thing. What is is?" Briarlight asked.

"Bramblestar has been affected by the curse," Ivypool replied.

"We already knew that. Every tom in the Clan besides Thornclaw and Birchfall are affected," Briarligh added. "So?"

"Bramblestar has gotten over it," Ivypool replied.

"That's great!" Briarlight exclaimed.

"Not really," Ivypool meowed. "He's decided he doesn't want to live as long as I'm in the Clan, so he's exiled me."

"What?" Brairlight gasped.

"I talked to Squirrelflight about it. She's decided that Bramblestar must die," Ivypool meowed, lowering her voice.

"R—r—really?" Briarlight whispered.

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. "Can you come with us?"

"Yeah," Briarlight replied. "I'll help you."

"Thanks," Ivypool meowed. "Let's go, then."

* * *

**At the cliff that should be really familiar by now...**

* * *

"Did we have to cross that log?" Bramblestar complained. "It almost broke under my weight! We're going to be lucky to get back across it!"

"Yes," Squirrelflight replied. "Jayfeather is over here."

"What about Lionblaze? You said you'd found him as well," Bramblestar meowed. "Speaking of Lionblaze, I'm sure he would never make it across that log. That tom weighs more than I do!"

"Of course he's over here, too," Hazeltail replied. Hazeltail led Squirrelflight and Bramblestar to the edge of the cliff. Ivypool and Briarlight watched from behind the bushes.

"What are they doing?" Briarlight asked curiously.

"Hazeltail is going to throw Bramblestar off the cliff," Ivypool explained softly. "The long fall should take away all of his lives at once."

"Are you sure it's going to work?" Briarlight asked.

"If not, then after he comes back up he'll fall off the log on the way back, in which he won't be able to get back up," Ivypool replied.

"If you say so." Briarlight voice was still filled with doubt.

"How big is this cliff?" Bramblestar asked.

"Look over and find out for yourself," Hazeltail replied coldly. Bramblestar cast a confused glance at Hazeltail for her sudden coldness but didn't say anything before he looked over the cliff edge.

"Great StarClan! Jayfeather! Foxleap! Mousewhisker! Wait, is that the WindClan patrol?" Bramblestar asked.

"Sure is," Hazeltail replied calmly. Squirrelflight's eyes were wide with shock. _Oops. Forgot to tell her about that…_ Ivypool realized. _Heh…she'll be really mad later…_

Bramblestar stepped back away from the cliff. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Don't follow me," Ivypool whispered to Briarlight. Raising her voice, she meowed, "You can't exile me, Bramblestar." She stepped out from beneath the bushes.

"Ivypool?" Bramblestar gasped. "What are you going to do to me?"

"What do you think?" Ivypool asked. "You have nine lives. There's only one way to kill you."

"Are you going to kill me like Scourge killed my father?" Bramblestar exclaimed. "Do you really think I'm that evil? I'm not, I swear!"

"I know you're not," Ivypool meowed sadly, "but this curse that I have is changing you, Bramblestar. The only way to truly open your eyes is so close them."

"You're talking like Jayfeather," Bramblestar meowed.

"This is the way things have to be," Ivypool insisted. "Bramblestar, jump off the cliff."

"And if I don't?" Bramblestar asked.

"Then we'll unite all of our power to throw you off," Ivypool replied.

"I'd like to see you try," Bramblestar meowed.

"Don't forget that I've been trained in the Dark Forest," Ivypool meowed coldly.

"Don't forget that I'm the one who originally killed Hawkfrost," Bramblestar spat.

"Don't forget that I killed him in his afterlife!" Ivypool snarled.

"Don't forget that I'm your leader!" Bramblestar hissed. Ivypool was about to throw another retort at him, but she was interrupted.

"Enough!" Squirrelflight growled. "Bramblestar, Ivypool is right. This is the way things have to be."

"The only way to truly open your eyes is to close them," Hazeltail repeated Ivypool's words. Ivypool cast a thankful glance to her friend before looking back at Bramblestar.

"Bramblestar, this is good-bye. May we meet again in StarClan," Ivypool meowed before leaping at him. Ivypool jumped straight at him. Bramblestar was a poor fighter when compared to her. His reaction time was too slow. This was evident as Ivypool knocked him off of the cliff. Bramblestar fell while yowling. Ivypool tried to skid to a halt, but she lost her footing and ended up holding onto the top of the cliff by her claws in a branch of a tree. However, it was about to collapse under her weight.

"Squirrelflight! Hazeltail! Help!" Ivypool cried.

"Ivypool, I'm coming!" Hazeltail cried. She tried to rush forward, but Squirrelflight held her back.

"You have kits to look after," Squirrelflight reminded her. "Don't. Let me do this."

"No!" Briarlight suddenly rushed out from underneath the bush. "Squirrelflight, you're our leader now. _I'll_ do this." Briarlight leaped onto the branch that Ivypool was hanging onto.

"What are you doing?" Ivypool cried. "Do you want us _both_ to fall?"

"One of us is going to die from here," Briarlight agreed. "But I won't let it be you."

"What—no!" Ivypool cried. Briarlight grabbed Ivypool by the scruff. The branch cracked.

"It's about to fall!" Hazeltail fretted. "Let me go, Squirrelflight!"

"No!" Ivypool cried out to them. Then, to Briarlight, she meowed, "Briarlight, you don't have to do this. Let me fall. The branch is about to fall. I won't let you die!"

"You don't have any choice!" Briarlight meowed through Ivypool's fur. Ivypool gasped as Briarlight threw her over to the edge of the cliff. Ivypool almost didn't make it, but Hazeltail caught her and dragged her onto solid ground again. Ivypool jumped to her paws. She exchanged a quick glance with Hazeltail and was surprised to see so much love in her eyes.

_She's different,_ Ivypool remembered. _If the curse has affected her, then it's different, but…_ When she saw the look in Hazeltail's eyes, it wasn't the same look from everyone else that was affected by the curse. It was different. It wasn't a look of hunger, like it had been all of the others' eyes. It had actually been a look of love.

_Her love for me is _real_, not an effect of Hawkfrost's curse,_ Ivypool realized.

The moment that had seemed to last forever was over. Ivypool turned around from Hazeltail's glance to see Briarlight eying the edge of the cliff.

"Ivypool, you okay?" Briarlight called to her.

"I'm fine!" Ivypool replied. "Briarlight, can you make it back?" she asked even though she knew the answer. The branch kept cracking.

"Ivypool, I had to save you," Briarlight meowed. "I just hope you'll forgive me for leaving you."

"Why did you have to?" Ivypool cried. "Why couldn't you let me die? You could have lived! You just regained your ability to walk a few moons ago!"

"I have spent my entire life treading the path of death," Briarlight explained. "I was born for this. When I was a kit, Honeyfern gave her life to save me from the snake. Ever since then I vowed to do whatever it took to save anyone and everyone. When I was an apprentice I tried to save Longtail and I failed. The only thing that I did was lose the feeling in my hind legs. However, a miracle happened while I was a warrior. At the end of the war I got the feeling in my legs and tail back. I could hunt again. I could save again. That's what I'm doing now, Ivypool. I'm saving you. I'm doing what I promised myself to do so long ago."

"I'll see you in StarClan some day," Ivypool meowed.

"Good-bye, Ivypool," Briarlight meowed.

"Good-bye, Briarlight," Ivypool meowed.

Briarlight was silent as the branch fell down. The dark brown she-cat made no attempt to save herself. Instead, she looked content as she fell down into the pits of nothing. Ivypool refused to look. However, she knew her friend was gone when she heard a loud thump.

"Is Bramblestar truly dead?" Ivypool asked when Hazeltail and Squirrelflight were silent. She attempted to bring up their leader as a distraction from her friend.

"Wh—what?" Squirrelflight asked slowly, as if coming out of a daze.

"I'll look," Ivypool offered. She carefully peered over the edge of the cliff. She was horrified at what she found. She'd known she would find Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Briarlight, and many others there, but she hadn't expected to see Bramblestar unmoving. She had honestly expected to see him climbing his way back up to her. However, Bramblestar's head had landed on a sharp stick that was stuck in the ground.

"He's dead," Ivypool meowed, quickly pulling herself away from the edge.

"All nine of his lives were taken from falling off a cliff?" Squirrelflight asked. The dark ginger tabby made no attempt to hide the shock in her voice.

"It's not that," Ivypool meowed slowly.

"Then what is it?" Squirrelflight asked.

"I…you need to take a look for yourself," Ivypool meowed. Squirrelflight padded up to the edge and let out a cry of horror. Hazeltail padded over to the edge of the cliff and immediately padded back. Hazeltail padded over to Ivypool.

"Are you okay?" Hazeltail asked worriedly.

"No," Ivypool replied. "I'm not." She leaned against Hazeltail for comfort as she tried to block out Squirrelflight's cries of pain and sorrow.

* * *

**Back at Camp...**

* * *

"Where is he?" Leafpool called out.

"We couldn't retrieve his body," Squirrelflight replied to her sister. Squirrelflight was standing on the highledge. She had just told the Clan about Bramblestar and Briarlight falling off the cliff. However, she hadn't told them about the other cats that were there.

"Why not?" Cherryfrost called out.

"It was too far of a fall and there was no way to get down there," Squirrelflight replied.

"So you're our leader now?" Cloudtail asked curiously.

"Yes," Squirrelflight replied. "I will go to the Moonpool and get my nine lives tomorrow. I would do it tonight if it weren't for the Gathering," Squirrelflight added.

"Are you going to choose a new deputy before the Gathering?" Poppyfrost asked.

"I am going to choose my deputy now," Squirrelflight replied.

The clamor in the clearing suddenly died down. Ivypool was almost impressed by the immediate quiet.

"The time has come to appoint a new deputy," Squirrelflight meowed. "I say these words before StarClan so that the spirits of our ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. Ivypool will be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

Ivypool felt a mix of emotions flood through her, from excitement to horror to disbelief.

"But I haven't had an apprentice yet," Ivypool meowed.

"You repeatedly put your life at risk during the war. Everyone in the Clan honors you. Who is to say you can't be deputy? You can mentor one of Cinderheart's kits when they become apprentices. Does anyone here believe that Ivypool shouldn't be deputy?" Squirrelflight asked the Clan.

"Ivypool! Ivypool!" Hazeltail cried. Soon enough the entire Clan started shouting out her name. Squirrelflight lifted her tail for silence so that Ivypool could speak.

"Very well," Ivypool meowed. "I never expected to be given this honor. I will be the best deputy of ThunderClan that I can be."

"Ivypool! Ivypool!" the Clan chanted.

The Clan meeting soon came to an end. Cats rushed to congratulate her, but Hazeltail pushed through to greet her first.

"Congratulations, Ivypool!" Hazeltail meowed.

"Thanks," Ivypool replied.

"I'm so proud of you!" Whitewing meowed.

"I always knew our kits were meant for something great," Birchfall meowed to Whitewing.

"Thank you," Ivypool meowed to her parents.

"I'm sure that Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing are proud of you, too," Leafpool meowed. "I know I am."

"Thank you," Ivypool meowed.

"Congratulations, Ivypool!" Toadstep meowed.

"Thank you," Ivypool meowed. She couldn't help but notice the look in his eyes. It wasn't as strong as the look in Hazeltail's eyes, but it was the same kind of look. _What if Toadstep _wasn't _affected by the curse? Did he really ever love Briarlight?_ Ivypool wondered. She would have asked if it weren't for the entire Clan crowding around her.

After what felt like saying 'thank you' a million times Ivypool was done getting congratulated. Everyone had resumed their Clan duties except for Hazeltail.

"Ivypool, will you still help me name my kits?" Hazeltail asked.

"Of course!" Ivypool replied. "Come on, let's go to the nursery," she meowed kindly.

* * *

**In the nursery (because I'm not describing the walk there with any fancy words or anything…)**

* * *

"Three she-kits," Hazeltail meowed.

"They're so tiny!" Ivypool exclaimed. She hadn't seen Hazeltail's kits up close yet.

"What can we name the small gray she-cat with amber eyes?" Hazeltail asked.

"How about Graykit?" Ivypool asked.

"That's very original," Hazeltail retorted.

"It's not a bad name, though," Ivypool insisted. "Graystripe was a good warrior, wasn't he?"

"Good point," Hazeltail meowed. "Graykit it is, then."

"Hi, Graykit!" Ivypool meowed.

The mentioned small gray she-kit blinked her amber eyes before bouncing up and down happily.

"Graykit! Graykit!" the little kit meowed happily.

"How about the pale gray she-cat with blue eyes?" Hazeltail asked.

"She looks just like Dovewing…" Ivypool whispered, shocked by the resemblance.

"Then I'll name her Dovekit, in honor of Dovewing!" Hazeltail meowed. "Hi, Dovekit!"

"Dovekit! Dovekit!" the gray she-kit was bouncing around just like Graykit was.

"And now for the reddish tabby she-cat with white paws, a white tail-tip, and green eyes," Ivypool meowed, making sure not to miss any details about the kit.

"She looks a lot like Foxleap if you take away the white fur," Hazeltail whispered.

"Foxkit?" Ivypool asked Hazeltail.

"No," Hazeltail replied. "I have a better idea. I'll name her after Firestar himself! Hi, Firekit!" Hazeltail added.

"Hey, Firekit!" Ivypool put in.

"Firekit! Firekit!" the third she-kit joined her sisters in bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Graykit, Dovekit, Firekit, we have to go," Ivypool meowed. "We're going to the Gathering. But Hazeltail will be back by tomorrow," Ivypool promised.

"I'll see you later, Graykit, Dovekit, and Firekit," Hazeltail meowed.

"Yay!" Graykit cried.

"Come back with a good story!" Dovekit begged.

"Make sure you say hi to the other clans for us!" Firekit insisted.

"We will," Hazeltail and Ivypool promised. They exchanged an amused glance before padding out of the nursery. As Squirrelflight gathered everyone that was going to the gathering, Ivypool couldn't help but notice the sad look in the dark ginger she-cat's eyes. Her mate was dead, and it was Ivypool's fault. Ivypool looked over to Hazeltail to see Hazeltail watching her with a pitiful gaze.

"It's not your fault," Hazeltail whispered to her. "It had to be done."

"How can I be so sure?" Ivypool muttered.

"You just have to trust me," Hazeltail meowed. "No matter what happens at the Gathering tonight, because it's the first Gathering you've gone to since you've gotten this curse. I will protect you. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you are safe."

"Thanks, Hazeltail," Ivypool whispered. She didn't bother telling Hazeltail she could protect herself because she wasn't so sure about herself anymore. _Maybe I need Hazeltail's help after all… Bramblestar and Briarlight died because of me, plus so many others… Jayfeather and Lionblaze… Dovewing... so many cats have died because of me…it's time to put things to an end. I'm going to breathe today, but tonight I will make sure this never happens again…_

* * *

**And there's the end of the chapter. Was it hard to write Briarlight's death? Absolutely. I love Briarlight. I didn't care for her too much in OOTS, but since I've been writing about her healed she's been a fun character to write (and for that matter, read, since I'm proofreading instead of writing) about. Bramblestar's death had to happen but it honestly wasn't that hard for me to write about.**

**So...um...now that I think about it, the beginning of this chapter was probably a bit random with Bramblestar trying to exile Ivypool, but the latter part with Briarlight's death and Ivypool becoming deputy was quite touching, per lack of better words.**

**Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Look forward to the next one!**

**~Icy**


	12. Chapter 11

**Happy Black Friday, folks! Hopefully you shopped safely in the midnight madness! Or you avoided it altogether by joining the online shopping crew! Either way, Happy Friday-After-Thanksgiving Day!**

**And on that note we transition into the second part of the end. "Dead Hearts" is by Stars. Last chapter was getting everyone ready for the Gathering where everything happens and everything changes. Are you ready? I hope you are, cause here it is!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

**Dead Hearts**

* * *

The silver-and-white tabby she-cat followed the dark ginger she-cat to the tree as she scanned the island clearing with her dark blue eyes. A few she-cats were giving her puzzled looks, but most of the toms were looking at her with a hungry look in her eyes.

"Ivypool!" she heard Hazeltail's cry. She was tempted to turn around and find the gray-and-white she-cat, but Squirrelflight sped up the pace and hurried to the tree. Ivypool decided that her new duties as deputy came first, so she ran over to follow Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight was sitting at the foot of the tree, watching her through her green eyes.

"Ivypool, don't forget how easily Hazeltail lied to you a couple of moons ago. She hurt you, Ivypool. You fell off a cliff because of her," Squirrelflight whispered to Ivypool as she skidded to a halt next to the ginger leader. Ivypool spun around and softly hissed at Squirrelflight.

"She's saved my life countless times since then!" Ivypool protested.

"How?" Squirrelflight asked. "Briarlight _died_ saving your life, but Hazeltail killed _my mate_ just to keep him from exiling you, but Bramblestar would have _never_ tried to kill you. Don't forget that Hazeltail doesn't have good intentions. She kills everyone else just so she can be with you."

"Hazeltail _does_ have good intentions! She does what she does to keep me safe so that no one tries to hurt me!" Ivypool argued.

"You can take care of yourself!" Squirrelflight spat.

"I'm not so sure anymore," Ivypool whispered, looking away. She lowered her voice when she saw a couple of cats twitch their ears. "Hazeltail isn't a bad cat, even though you've tried convincing me she is so many times."

"It wasn't too long ago that you believed she was bad, too," Squirrelflight meowed.

"But then she saved me from being exiled out of the Clan," Ivypool reminded her.

Squirrelflight snorted. "I have to be able to trust your judgement, Ivypool. Don't make me regret making you deputy."

"I'm sorry about Bramblestar," Ivypool whispered, looking away again.

"Ivypool, you…" Squirrelflight's voice quivered. Ivypool turned back to see the dark ginger she-cat shaking in anger. Squirrelflight was about to say more, but Blackstar, Onestar, and Mistystar padded over, making their way up the tree. Blackstar leaped above the other two leaders. Squirrelflight looked up at them.

"Squirrelflight," Ivypool whispered.

"What?" Squirrelflight snapped.

"Aren't you going to join them?" Ivypool asked softly, kindly pointing up the tree with her tail.

"Oh yeah," Squirrelflight whispered. "Thanks, Ivypool."

"No problem," Ivypool replied.

"I'm sorry, Ivypool…I know you trust Hazeltail, but it's just…"

"You're still grieving for Bramblestar," Ivypool explained, "who Hazeltail killed. I understand," she added in a whisper.

"Thank you," Squirrelflight meowed. "I truly am glad I made you deputy," she added before climbing up the tree. Onestar gave Squirrelflight a strange look but said nothing. Mistystar opened her jaws to say something, but decided against it and closed her jaws again. Blackstar jumped down from the branch and beckoned to Squirrelflight to go higher so she could speak first, but he didn't say anything.

"Ivypool!" Hazeltail had found her. "I need to talk to you."

"The Gathering's about to start, can it wait?" Ivypool asked.

"Have you seen the way some of these toms are looking at you?" Hazeltail whispered. "If it weren't for the fact that Blackstar and Onestar are distracted by Squirrelflight being in Bramblestar's place, then…" Hazeltail broke off and widened her eyes as she looked up the tree. Ivypool followed her gaze and widened her eyes as well. Blackstar and Onestar were staring at her now. Ivypool quickly turned away to break the eye-contact.

"Great StarClan!" Ivypool exclaimed as lowly as she could. "I saw some of the toms here looking at me strangely, but…I never thought Blackstar and Onestar would…"

"If Bramblestar could, then they can, too," Hazeltail meowed.

"Thank you for warning me," Ivypool meowed.

"Of course," Hazeltail replied.

"Hazeltail, this is where the deputies stand. You can't be here; it's dishonorable," Ivypool meowed.

"So is their staring," Hazeltail argued.

"I know, but please let me do this right," Ivypool meowed. "I've never had an apprentice, so I have to do my best to impress the other Clans."

"I understand," Hazeltail meowed, dipping her head. "I'll be at the edge of the clearing near the tree-bridge if anything happens."

"Alright, thanks," Ivypool meowed. _Nothing out of the ordinary should happen, though…_

Ivypool looked around the clearing and remember the curse. _This is my first Gathering since this stupid curse was put on me…something might happen after all…if it does, I'll go straight to the Moonpool and try to find Hawkfrost! _Ivypool made her decision. _So many cats have died already…I have to make sure no one else dies!_

Applefur, Ashfoot, and Petalfur sat down next to her among the roots of the tree.

"Ivypool? What are you doing here?" Applefur asked with obvious shock in her voice.

"Let the Gathering begin!" Blackstar yowled.

"You'll find out soon enough," Ivypool replied. She knew Applefur well from her Dark Forest days. The two she-cats were kind of friends. Ivypool couldn't help but feel relieved that all of the other deputies were she-cats. _They shouldn't be affected by the curse._

The clearing quickly quieted down. Ivypool looked up the tree to see Squirrelflight impatiently waiting. The dark ginger she-cat's tail was twitching. When the clearing was completely silent, Squirrelflight didn't waste any time before starting.

"It was announced at the last Gathering that cats have started to go missing," Squirrelflight began. "You already know that Foxleap is missing from ThunderClan. There are many more that are missing now. Mousewhisker, Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Bramblestar are all missing now. That is why I'm up here tonight. I am going to the Moonpool tomorrow to receive my nine lives."

"Bramblestar? No!" Ivypool recognized Tawnypelt's voice.

"That's terrible news." Ivypool was surprised to hear Crowfeather's voice. Crowfeather hadn't been vocal about anything ever since the war.

"In addition to all of the cats that are missing, I am sorry to say that Briarlight died falling out of a tree and down a cliff. We just recently found the cliff in an unexplored part of our territory and are sorry to say it is too steep and that we cannot retrieve her body," Squirrelflight added before jumping down to a lower branch. Blackstar leaped up to a higher branch before any of the other leaders could.

"Owlclaw, Scorchfur, Stoatfur, and Sparrowpaw are missing from ShadowClan!" Blackstar yowled angrily. "If any of the other Clans have done anything with out warriors and apprentices, then…"

"Blackstar, please control yourself," Mistystar meowed. "Cats are missing from all of the Clans now."

"We heard about ThunderClan and WindClan last moon, but nothing about ShadowClan or RiverClan," Onestar meowed. "Have cats gone missing from your Clan as well, Mistystar?"

"Yes," Mistystar replied. "Pebblefoot, Mallownose, Rushtail, and Hollowflight."

"When did they go missing?" Blackstar asked, his voice sharp.

"Almost a moon ago," Mistystar replied. "Only a few days after the last gathering."

"That's exactly when Owlclaw, Scorchfur, Stoatfur, and Sparrowpaw went missing!" Blackstar exclaimed.

_Oh no,_ Ivypool thought. _They're going to start figuring it out!_

"Those missing cats…they were all toms, weren't they?" Onestar asked slowly.

"Yes," Mistystar replied with a puzzled look on her face.

"Yes," Blackstar replied. "What about yours?" he added bluntly.

"All toms," Onestar meowed. "All of the warriors that Bramblestar and Squirrelflight listed off were toms as well. Why all toms?"

"Is there someone that is secretly taking away our toms?" Blackstar asked suspiciously.

"We might never see the missing toms again," Squirrelflight meowed. "They're probably dead."

"Why would you say that?" Onestar exclaimed.

"Why would you know that?" Blackstar asked suspisciouly.

_StarClan, no!_

"I—I—it's just a guess," Squirrelflight stammered in reply.

_She can't cover,_ Ivypool thought.

"You never announced your new deputy," Mistystar meowed. "Is it a she-cat or a tom?"

"The new deputy of ThunderClan is Ivypool," Squirrelflight replied.

"A she-cat!" Blackstar exclaimed. "Are _you_ the one that's taken our warriors away?"

"I think she is!" Onestar cried.

"Squirrelflight's a murderer!" Mistystar exclaimed.

"For StarClan's sake, why would Squirrelflight murder Bramblestar?" Ivypool growled at the leaders from where she was standing.

"An alibi!" Blackstar spat. "She probably didn't care about Bramblestar!"

"Probably never truly forgave him for her lie about the kits!" Onestar agreed.

"She must be punished!" Mistystar spat.

"For StarClan's sake!" Tigerheart yowled. "We shouldn't be accusing anyone of murder! We should be congratulating Ivypool on becoming deputy!"

"Ivypool! Ivypool!" Starlingwing and Ferretclaw of ShadowClan started yowling. Soon enough all of the toms joined their cry, but none of the she-cats did.

"Ivypool! Ivypool!"

"Ivypool, are you okay?" Applefur whispered. Ivypool realized she'd started cowering down. She forced herself back up.

"I'm fine," She replied coldly, much to Applefur's surprise.

"Ivypool is deputy, we get it!" Blackstar yowled, trying to get all of the toms to be quiet. "How about you shut up and let us kill a murderer? Then Ivypool can be a leader like she deserves to be!"

"That wasn't biased at all," Mistystar meowed, staring at Blackstar through narrowed eyes.

"He's right," Onestar meowed, "except I thought _I_ would get to say it before he did."

"Great StarClan…" Ivypool whispered.

"Ivypool, what's going on between our leaders?" Ashfoot asked her.

"Do you know what Blackstar and Onestar are saying about you?" Applefur asked. "It's almost as if they…"

"Don't say it!" Ivypool cried. "Please don't say it…" she added in a whisper.

"You knew this was going to happen, then?" Petalfur asked.

Ivypool didn't answer her.

"Why would she know that?" Applefur cried.

"Ivypool." Ivypool turned to see Mistystar land next to her. The RiverClan leader had jumped down from the tree. "It seems that Mothwing and Willowshine were right."

"About what?" Ivypool whispered, looking away from Mistystar's burning gaze.

"StarClan told them that there had been a curse put on a she-cat and that almost all of the toms in the Clans would fall in love with her," Mistystar meowed. "StarClan also said that the cursed she-cat would soon become deputy of a Clan. You are this cat, aren't you?"

"Yes," Ivypool replied softly.

"Kill the murderer!" Blackstar yowled. Ivypool lifted her gaze to see Blackstar attack Squirrelflight from across the tree branches. Squirrelflight fell out of the tree and landed harshly on her back. Ivypool immediately ran over to her leader.

"Squirrelflight!" Ivypool exclaimed. "Squirrelflight, are you okay?"

The dark ginger she-cat lay unmoving.

"Squirrelflight!" Leafpool skidded to a halt next to her. "Squirrelflight, please…say something…"

"Leafpool, is Squirrelflight okay?" Ivypool asked her medicine cat.

Leafpool lowered her head and didn't answer.

"She's not breathing," Willowshine meowed. Ivypool hadn't noticed the RiverClan medicine cat over there before.

"Is Squirrelflight alive?" Ivypool asked softly.

Willowshine shook her head. "I'm sorry, Ivypool, but Squirrelflight is dead."

"Squirrelflight, no!" Leafpool's grief-filled yowl erupted through the clearing.

"ThunderClan, get back at ShadowClan and WindClan for killing our leader!" Ivypool recognized the voice as Thornclaw's. Battle cries were let out and the clearing burst into many battles.

"Ivypool, go to the Moonpool!" Willowshine ordered her. "If you die, then ThunderClan has no leader or deputy! Get to the Moonpool and get your nine lives!"

"I'm not getting my nine lives yet," Ivypool meowed. "If I go to the Moonpool then I'm going to the Dark Forest."

"What? How? And why?" Willowshine exclaimed.

"This curse is Hawkfrost's fault, I know it is," Ivypool meowed. "I may have killed him during the war again, but I think he still exists somehow. I'm going to find out and I'm going to kill him again before I get my nine lives. If I get my nine lives but I don't get rid of this curse, then more cats will die over nothing."

"Die?" Willowshine asked.

"All of the missing cats are dead," Ivypool whispered. "Most of them attacked me or attacked each other while trying to get to me," she explained.

"That's terrible!" Willowshine cried. "Ivypool, you've got to get out of here!"

"I know! Thanks for your help, Willowshine!" Ivypool cried before turning around and trying to run out of the clearing. However, she was quickly blocked by Sedgewhisker and Starlingwing, who were fighting.

"Starlingwing, stop this!" Sedgewhisker cried. "I'm a WindClan cat! The battles should be between us and ThunderClan!"

"This isn't about Squirrelflight," Starlingwing meowed coldly. "This is about Ivypool. We all want Ivypool, and you she-cats are getting in our way!" Starlingwing leaped at Sedgewhisker with unsheathed claws and began to rip at the fur on her throat. Ivypool leaped at Staringwing and sent him flying away from Sedgewhisker.

"Ivypool!" Sedgewhisker exclaimed. "He's saying strange things about you, just like Blackstar and Onestar are!"

"This battle isn't between ThunderClan and the team of the other Clans, this is between toms and she-cats," Ivypool meowed coldly.

"What? Why?" Sedgewhisker exclaimed.

"Get out of my way!" Starlingwing spat, ramming into Sedgewhisker and sending her flying. Starlingwing then leaped on top of Ivypool without a moment of waiting. Ivypool rolled over and tried to crush him underneath her weight, but he was much heavier than she was. Starlingwing kicked at her back and knocked her off of him. Ivypool went rolling into a bramble bush. She tried to move and roll out from under it, but her ears and nose were caught in a tendril of brambles.

"I've got you now!" Starlingwing let out a victorious cry. Ivypool tried rolling out again. Her tail, hind legs, back, and belly were out, but her head was stuck in the bramble bush.

_Great StarClan, this is ridiculous! This stupid bramble bush…_

Starlingwing slowly dragged his claws down Ivypool's tail. Ivypool tried slapping her tail around to hit Starlingwing in the face or something, but Starlingwing pushed it down to the ground and made sure it would stay by digging his claws into the ground through her tail.

"Ow!" Ivypool cried in alarm. She tried wriggling out of the bramble bush, but her head was stuck. A thorn on a bramble was a whisker-length away from her eye. If she tried pulling anymore she would hurt her left eye if not lose it.

Starlingwing slowly dragged the claws of his other paw down her tail again. Ivypool's tail trembled as she tried to move it, but it wasn't going anywhere.

"Ivypool, kick!" She recognized Sedgewhisker's cry. Ivypool kicked hard with her hind legs and felt herself push against someone's belly. She felt the claws ripped out of her tail. She hissed in pain.

"Ivypool, are you okay? I'm right here next to you," Sedgewhisker meowed.

"My head's stuck!" Ivypool cried. "This is more embarrassing than anything, but this thorn is close to poking my eye out!"

"Here, let me help," Sedgewhisker meowed kindly. Sedgewhisker ripped the tendrils with her claws and help Ivypool pull her head out of the bramble bush. Ivypool jumped back and shook her head as soon as she was out.

"Thank you so much!" Ivypool cried.

"Maybe you shouldn't thank me," Sedgewhisker meowed, looking over her with wide eyes.

"Why not?" Ivypool asked.

"Ivypool, can you feel either of your ears? Can you see through your left eye?" Sedgewhisker asked.

"I don't know," Ivypool replied. "It's all kind of a blur, honestly."

"You've got to get out of here," Sedgewhisker meowed.

"You! Stop getting in my way!" Starlingwing spat, returning from wherever Ivypool had kicked him away to. The ginger tom was glaring at Sedgewhisker, whose light brown tabby fur was bristling.

"When you stop doing stupid things I'll think about it!" Sedgewhisker spat back at Starlingwing. Starlingwing leaped at Sedgewhisker before she could say anything else and started ripping at her throat again. Ivypool crouched to leap in and save her but she was stopped mid-jump as someone landed on top of her.

"I've got you now, Ivypool," a tom's voice meowed.

"Emberfoot, what are you doing?"

"Swallowtail, don't come over here!" Sedgewhisker tried to yowl, but Starlingwing had her pinned down and Sedgewhisker's cry was gurgled because of the countless injuries on her throat.

"Emberfoot, what are you doing? You're _my_ mate! Think of our kits! Think about Stormkit and Willowkit!" Sedgewhisker cried. "They were just born two nights ago! You can't just betray them like that!"

"But I don't love you anymore!" Emberfoot snarled. "You're just a distraction from Ivypool!"

"Ivypool? She's ThunderClan!" Swallowtail cried.

"But…"

Ivypool took advantage of Emberfoot's confusion and pushed herself off the ground as much as she could, sending Emberfoot flying. Ivypool jumped to her paws and whirled around to fight Emberfoot, but she realized she lost a lot of blood when she started to fall over. Swallowtail caught her and helped hold her up.

"Ivypool, your eye and ears! You've lost too much blood!" Sedgewhisker tried to cry, but her meow was gurgled.

"Sedgewhisker!" Swallowtail exclaimed.

"Swallowtail, I'm going to kill you for getting in my way!" Emberfoot cried.

"Sedgewhisker, I'm going to leave you here to suffer while I get my Ivypool once and for all!" Starlingwing hissed.

Ivypool suddenly felt like everything was spinning around her. Swallowtail had dropped and was staring at the ground in shock. Ivypool struggled to keep herself up on all fours. She leaped at Emberfoot while she still could and pinned him down. She bit down deep into his throat and quickly killed him. Emberfoot fell and lay unmoving, but Ivypool fell as he fell. She fell onto her side. She tried to get back up. She started to fall again but she was caught by a black-and-white tom.

"Toadstep?" She asked.

"Ivypool, I will always protect you," Toadstep meowed. "I don't know why all of these toms are trying to get to you, but I'm going to protect you from them. I know that I'm just a friend to you, but you're so much more to me…"

"Toadstep…" Ivypool whispered, looking into his eyes. She realized her left eye was closed. She tried to open it but she couldn't. She looked into Toadstep's eyes with her right eye and saw the way Hazeltail looked at her in Toadstep's eyes.

_This isn't the same as everyone else who is affected by the curse! Does he _actually _love me?_

Ivypool turned away. "I'm sorry, Toadstep…I could love you if I tried, but…" A small gray-and-white she-cat came into her mind. "But I think I love someone else more."

"I thought you didn't love anyone!" Toadstep exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, but I have to help Sedgewhisker," Ivypool whispered before running away from Toadstep's help. She leaped at Starlingwing and dragged him off of Sedgewhisker with a small remaining scrap of energy. Ivypool then shredded his neck and belly with her claws. Starlingwing soon lay unmoving.

"Emberfoot? Emberfoot!" Swallowtail cried, sitting next to Emberfoot's unmoving body.

"Sedgewhisker, are you okay?" Ivypool tried to ignore Swallowtail's cries of pain and grief. She turned to Sedgewhisker, who was struggling to breathe.

"Ivypool, I…I don't know…" Sedgewhisker rasped.

"Sedgewhisker!" Willowshine and Kestrelflight were running over. "I've got cobwebs!" Willowshine cried, skidding to a halt next to them. "Ivypool? You look terrible too! Let me heal you…"

"Take care of Sedgewhisker first," Ivypool ordered her. "I can live without an eye. Sedgewhisker can't live without a throat."

"Of course," Willowshine replied, immediately pressing cobwebs onto Sedgewhisker's throat.

"I'll find something to soothe your throat," Kestrelflight meowed before running off.

"Ivypool…" Sedgewhisker whispered.

"Don't talk," Willowshine ordered. "If you want to try and save your voice and your life, then don't talk while I do this."

"Take care, Sedgewhisker, Willowshine," Ivypool whispered before turning away and slowly padding over to Emberfoot's body.

"Emberfoot…" Swallowtail whispered.

"Swallowtail, I'm so sorry, but he…I couldn't let him hurt me…" Ivypool whispered.

"This is all your fault!" Swallowtail cried. "I'm going to kill you!" Swallowtail suddenly leaped at Ivypool, but Ivypool ducked and easily dodged her attack. The grieving she-cat was thinking properly and couldn't even attack her properly.

"Ivypool, get to the Moonpool!" Toadstep ordered. "I'll take care of Swallowtail."

"You'll have to kill me!" Swallowtail spat, lunging at Toadstep. Toadstep crouched to leap back, but Hazeltail leaped out of nowhere and pinned Swallowtail to the ground. Hazeltail didn't hesitate in ripping Swallowtail's throat to shreds. Swallowtail gurgled and gasped for air. Ivypool frantically looked around for Willowshine, but she was still tending to Sedgewhisker. There was no time to save Swallowtail.

"Hazeltail, you killed her!" Toadstep exclaimed.

"I had to save Ivypool!" Hazeltail cried. "Ivypool, you understand!"

Ivypool didn't budge a whisker-length.

"You understand…don't you?" Hazeltail asked slowly.

"Swallowtail wasn't a tom…she couldn't hurt me," Ivypool meowed. "She was grieving because I killed her mate. She had the right to be mad at me. You just killed her out of cold blood. She just gave birth to two kits two days ago. Now who is going to take care of her kits?"

"I—I—I…I didn't know…" Hazeltail stammered, but Ivypool didn't let her continue.

"Of course you didn't know. You didn't properly observe the situation. You didn't give her a chance to defend herself," Ivypool meowed. "Squirrelflight tried warning me you were a killer, but I had convinced myself you were trying to help me. But with this…I finally understand that you're a bad cat after all. You're not good, Hazeltail. You're a killer. _You_ are the killer that Blackstar and Onestar killed Squirrelflight over. Hazeltail, our leader is dead because of the crimes that _you_ committed. Hazeltail, you…"

"I committed all those crimes to protect and save you!" Hazeltail cried.

"Hazeltail, I'm sorry, but you are no longer permitted anywhere on ThunderClan territory," Ivypool meowed coldly. "You are exiled from ThunderClan. Toadstep, pass around the news, will you?"

Toadstep frantically ran away before Ivypool or Hazeltail said nothing else.

"Ivypool…why?" Hazeltail whispered.

"I honestly thought that…I thought you were trying to save me, too," Ivypool meowed, "but I've realized now that you're just trying to get me like the rest of them were. You were affected by the stupid curse, Hazeltail, but you've gone farther than the rest have. You've killed innocent cats over it."

"The ShadowClan patrol and WindClan patrol killed each other!" Hazeltail cried.

"They weren't innocent. They were going to try and get me. Swallowtail wasn't going to. You killed her in cold blood!" Ivypool cried. "Hazeltail, I honestly thought I could love you, but…I realize now how stupid I was. Maybe I should love Toadstep after all…" she added in a whisper.

"What?" Hazeltail cried. "Toadstep? But he's affected by this stupid curse just like everyone else is!"

"So are you!" Ivypool spat. "Toadstep has never killed anyone for me."

"You never asked him to. You _asked_ me to kill Bramblestar. You would have _let_ me kill the ShadowClan patrol if the RiverClan patrol had not shown up," Hazeltail meowed.

"That's why I forgave you for all of those murders," Ivypool meowed, "but this murder was against the warrior code. Swallowtail's death was meaningless."

"Ivypool…I…" Hazeltail slouched down to the ground. "What about my kits? You can't do this to me! You can't do this to them!" she cried. "You clearly have no idea how much I love you! I don't want to spend a lifetime without you!"

"Then kill yourself," Ivypool meowed coldly. "This world is better off without you. Your kits will grow up much better without a mother than they would with you as their mother. I hope you join Hawkfrost in the Dark Forest."

Hazeltail gasped and stared at her through wide eyes, but didn't say anything. She couldn't. Ivypool had left her speechless. Ivypool coldly turned away and began to walk away. _I've got to make it to the Moonpool before any more cats die…and before I lose myself over what I've just done…_

Ivypool burst into a run, but she quickly fell onto the ground face-first when she was tripped by a cream-and-gray tom.

"Ivypool, where do you think you're going without me?" the tom asked.

"Ferretclaw, leave me alone!" Ivypool hissed. She jumped to her paws, but Ferretclaw pushed her back down and pinned her down before she could jump to her paws again.

"I'll repeat my question before I decide what to do. Where do you think you're going without me?" Ferretclaw hissed, lowering his head to her neck. Ivypool forced herself not to reel in disgust from his hot breath.

"Leave Ivypool alone!" Ivypool was still with shock as she recognized the voice. She felt the weight lifted from her shoulders and jumped to her paws while she could. She turned around to watch Hazeltail finish Ferretclaw and throw his dead body to the side.

"Hazeltail?" Ivypool asked in shock. "What are you doing? I just exiled you! Why are you following me?"

"No matter how much you hate me, I will always love you," Hazeltail replied. Ivypool saw the true love in her eyes and remembered how she almost felt the same thing back to her. Ivypool shook her head and forced the feeling away.

"Stop following me!" Ivypool spat.

"I just saved your life and all you can do is yell at me for doing so?" Hazeltail asked in shock.

Ivypool sighed. "Thank you for saving my life, but don't worry about doing it again."

"I'm going to keep following you until you make it to the Moonpool safely," Hazeltail meowed. "You don't have much farther to go, so don't complain."

"You can follow me if you like, but don't stay so close to me," Ivypool snapped. "Give me some space!"

"Of course," Hazeltail replied softly.

"Good," Ivypool meowed. "Listen, Hazeltail…"

"Hazeltail, you traitor!" Poppyfrost spat, skidding to a halt next to them. "Toadstep told me what you did! Ivypool exiled you? Good!"

"Poppyfrost, I was getting ready to take it back…" Ivypool meowed.

"Why would you do that?" Poppyfrost spat. "Berrynose was killed by a ShadowClan lunatic because of her!"

"Which one?" Ivypool asked.

"Starlingwing!" Poppyfrost spat.

"Starlingwing? I've taken care of him. He's dead," Ivypool meowed. "I'm going to let Hazeltail back into the Clan because she saved my life when Ferretclaw was about to kill me. If she hadn't have saved my life then ThunderClan wouldn't have a leader or deputy."

Poppyfrost gave Hazeltail a long look before finally meowing, "Fine."

"Thank you, Ivypool!" Hazeltail cried.

"Pass the news around, will you, Poppyfrost?" Ivypool meowed. "Hazeltail, keep distance if you insist on following me."

"Of course," Hazeltail replied.

"Good," Ivypool meowed. She then burst into a run. She quickly arrived at the tree-bridge and bounded across it without a second thought. However, she slipped towards the end and fell into the lake. She tried to swim, but she had lost too much blood and her mind started giving way, causing her leg muscles to stop working as well as she needed them to. She started sinking. Everything started turning shades of blue and black before Ivypool suddenly felt herself being lifted out of the water. Ivypool landed on dry land. She looked up, half expecting Hazeltail to be there. She widened her eyes in surprise when she saw her former mentor standing over her, looking at her through worried eyes.

"Ivypool, your left eye barely opened while your right eye widened so much I could see the whites. Are you okay?" Cinderheart asked worriedly. "That was quite a fall. Can you get up?"

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. She forced herself to get to her paws. She struggled and would have fallen over again if Cinderheart had not caught her.

"Ivypool, you need to rest," Cinderheart meowed.

"I can't. I have to get to the Moonpool," Ivypool meowed.

"Let me help you, then," Cinderheart meowed. "Cinderpelt may be gone, but I still remember some of the herbs. Let me get you back to ThunderClan to the medicine cat den and let me heal you."

"I have to get to the Moonpool, not the medicine cat den!" Ivypool argued. "Please, Cinderheart, I don't know how much time I have left! ThunderClan won't have a leader or deputy if I die!"

"Exactly! That's why I have to help you!" Cinderheart argued.

"If I don't get to the Moonpool then I can't end this stupid curse!" Ivypool cried.

"I know," Cinderheart meowed. "Lionblaze told me about it."

"Wh…what?" Ivypool asked confusedly.

"Why do you think I'm here? I didn't go to the Gathering with you, remember? I left Icecloud with my kits," Cinderheart added.

"I don't understand…" Ivypool whispered. Everything started going black again.

"Ivypool? Ivypool!" Cinderheart cried.

Ivypool fell over as everything turned black. She blinked her eyes open and was surprised to find herself in the training area of the Dark Forest.

"Hello, Ivypool. You wanted to see me?" Ivypool gasped as she recognized the voice. She jumped to her paws and spun around and she exclaimed,

"Hawkfrost!"

* * *

**Major cliffie alert!**

**Okay, well, we've only got two chapters left until the epilogue. Next chapter is the climax! Look forward to it! After that everything winds down, and then we get an epilogue, which is set around ten-twelve moons after chapter thirteen.**

**We're almost done! It kind of makes me sad...I've enjoyed this story.**

**Well, hopefully this long chapter makes up for some of my long-awaited past updates. Look forward to the next chapter!**

**~Icy**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve! Yay! This is the climax of the story! It's kind of unrealistic, but... Moving on...**

**I'm not going to say much because I want to get straight to the chapter! Real quick, though, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is by Kelly Clarkson. Gotta give credit where it belongs...**

**And without further ado, here's chapter twelve! I hope nobody gets too upset... I mean, geez, I've killed enough cats as it is, and let's be honest, she had it coming...**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

**Behind These Hazel Eyes**

* * *

"Hawkfrost!" Ivypool exclaimed as she jumped to her paws.

"That's me," the dark brown tabby tom replied. He stepped forward until he was less than a fox-length away. Ivypool cautiously took a step back. He clearly noticed. "What's wrong, Ivypool? It's just me," he added.

"What's wrong? I killed you! That's what's wrong!" Ivypool snapped. All of her recent pain and suffering…he was the cause of it. Ivypool wanted to take it all out on him.

"Haven't you ever heard of unfinished business?" Hawkfrost asked. "Come on, Ivypool, I'm just trying to pass on to the next stage of death. Won't you help me?"

"Help you? _Help you?_ Are you insane?" Ivypool snarled, crouching down to attack him. However, her sight wasn't that great. Her injuries from the Gathering had carried over into the Dark Forest after all. _If I get hurt anymore…I'll die here and in the real world…I'm used to this, but…doing it again…I feel like I'm starting all over, but I don't have time to start all over…_

"Ivypool, don't be so mad about it. It's not like you're strong enough to kill me twice, anyway," Hawkfrost sneered.

"That's it!" Whether it was a good idea or not, Ivypool leaped at Hawkfrost with a straight shot. Hawkfrost easily dodged to the side. Ivypool didn't land quite like she had expected to. She twisted both of her front paws and ended up rolling down a large hill. She landed against a tree at the bottom of the hill with a loud thump. There was a brown pool of water around the tree. She heard a crack as pain erupted throughout her back, but she couldn't decide where the pain was exactly. She fell down onto her side and lay still. The water was shallow, so she could breathe, but the cold water against her wounds was almost too much for her to bear.

"Can you handle revenge?" Hawkfrost asked her, calmly padding over to her, easily catching up. "I hope you can."

"Why is that?" Ivypool rasped. She lifted her head. She willed herself to get up, but it wasn't working. Her legs wouldn't move even when she told them to in her mind.

"Ivypool, Ivypool…what do you think my unfinished business it?" Hawkfrost asked.

"I still don't understand this _unfinished business_ concept…what are you talking about?" Ivypool asked. She tried to lift herself up again but her head ended up falling onto the ground along with the rest of her motionless body.

"Basically, I can't fade away because there is something I must do before I can fade away. There is some sort of feeling, an unanswered annoyance, per say, from while I was alive that hasn't been answered," Hawkfrost explained.

"And what is yours?" Ivypool asked. Her left eye was already shut from her injuries and her right eye was starting to close itself. She fought to keep it open. She could no longer feel her nose, ears, or tail. She was fighting to stay awake to live, but doing so kept her from being able to fight Hawkfrost to live. _I can't fight to live because I'm fighting to live…this makes total sense. Am I losing my mind? What will happen to ThunderClan if I die? Who will be leader?_

"I want revenge on those who have betrayed me," Hawkfrost explained. "Bramblestar betrayed me, but he died because of the curse I put on you. Now I just need to finish my revenge on you."

"This curse…is part of your revenge?" Ivypool asked.

"Of course," Hawkfrost replied. "Haven't you figured that out yet?"

"If you're still here…is Tigerstar still here?" Ivypool asked.

"Somewhere, but I have yet to find him," Hawkfrost explained. "Nevermind Tigerstar, though. This is about _you_, Ivypool. I've decided that your torture in the living world is over. I'm going to torture you here, in the Dark Forest, now. Not with emotional pain, but physical pain. Can you handle it? Can you fight to live for much longer, Ivypool?"

Ivypool remained still. She didn't answer him, but her glare must have been enough because he started laughing.

"Your pain is the best thing that's ever happened to me," Hawkfrost meowed. "I'm disappointed that it won't take much to kill you, though. I wanted to do it myself. Perhaps the curse I planted on you was too strong after all."

"Lots of cats in the Clans died because of you," Ivypool meowed. Taking one final burst of energy she pushed herself off of the ground. Her legs were trembling and she leaned her side against the tree to keep herself from falling over again. Her entire body was shaking and shivering from cold and pain.

"What are you going to do about it?" Hawkfrost asked. "You shouldn't have betrayed me."

"You shouldn't have tried to end the Clans. What kind of maniac would try to end the Clans? What did they ever do to you?" Ivypool snapped.

"They killed my father! I didn't get to know him until he trained Bramblestar and me here!" Hawkfrost snapped.

"Bramblestar? Here?" Ivypool exclaimed in shock.

"He was supposed to help me kill Firestar, but instead he killed me!" Hawkfrost snapped. "And then there's you. _You_ were supposed to help me end the Clans! You were my best apprentice!"

"It was all a lie!" Ivypool spat. "You were too stupid to see through it!"

"You're going to regret that!" Hawkfrost snarled, leaping at her. Ivypool tried to brace herself for the attack, but she knew that if she got hit at all then it would be the end of her. Hawkfrost's claws were outstretched for the killing move of any healthy cat, but Ivypool had so many injuries that she was almost dead anyway. She shuddered and braced herself for the impact with her death. She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

"No, you're going to regret it!" Ivypool snapped her eyes open as she recognized the voice. _No! What are you doing here? Get out of here!_

A flash of gray and white sent a flash of brown flying away. Ivypool couldn't identify the two cats apart as they fought. Blood and clumps of fur were sent flying all over the ground. Gray was mixed with brown and everything was starting to blend together. Fur…trees…grass…the sun…the moon…

Ivypool stopped herself right there. She jerked herself awake from almost losing everything. _The sun? The moon? First of all, it's nighttime! Why is the sun here? Secondly, it's the Dark Forest! Neither the sun nor the moon are supposed to shine _any _light here at all! What in the name of StarClan is going on?_

Ivypool took a good look around. She moved herself away from the tree. She struggled with every pawstep. She dragged herself up the hill until she found a dark brown tabby tom struggling for breath. The tabby tom's ice blue eyes were filled with hatred, but they were not looking at Ivypool.

Ivypool followed the ice blue gaze to find the gray and white she-cat who had saved her life what seemed like moments but seasons ago. She looked into the gray and white she-cat's eyes to find surprise, astonishment, exhaustion, and many other qualities, but most importantly she saw kindness. She saw that this cat cared about her, no matter how many times she had dissed her, and no matter how many times Ivypool had been cruel to her. No matter what Ivypool did or said to her, this gray and white she-cat would always forgive her and love her the same, if not more, than when Ivypool wasn't being mean to her. But why was she here now? It was dangerous in the Dark Forest, and Ivypool wasn't able to understand why this she-cat was risking her life to save Ivypool's life. Ivypool was almost dead anyway, so what did it matter?

Ivypool couldn't think clearly anymore. She felt like her thoughts were scattered across the skies, each individual thought separated into ten thousand stars. Perhaps she was trying to connect things that shouldn't be connected. Perhaps this gray and white she-cat loved her. Perhaps that was what love meant. For the first time ever Ivypool thought she could understand what love meant.

_But I'm losing my mind, aren't I? Am I even going to remember any of this if I live?_

"Hawkfrost, leave Ivypool alone!" the gray and white she-cat spat.

"One of the kittypets! This is just great!" Hawkfrost sneered. "Tell me, which one are you again? I can't remember your names. All I know is kittypet, kittypet, and kittypet without a tail."

"I'm Hazeltail, and I'm the last cat you'll ever meet," Hazeltail hissed. Her fur was battered just like Hawkfrost's was. Hazeltail could clearly put up a decent fight with the Dark Forest tom.

"_Ivypool…"_

Ivypool stopped mid-step from padding over to stand next to Hazeltail. She was between Hazeltail and Hawkfrost now. Hazeltail wouldn't be able to save her if Hawkfrost struck her from where they were standing now.

"_Ivypool…"_

Ivypool set her paw down. Everything started moving in slow motion.

"_Ivypool, think."_

It was an order. But where was this voice coming from?

"_Unfinished business…"_

Ivypool lifted her paw to take a step forward. She didn't want to feel vulnerable anymore.

"_Reality blurred during the war…"_

Ivypool set her paw down in front of her and started to lift another one. Hawkfrost and Hazeltail were both breathing heavily.

"Ivypool, what do you think you're doing?" Hawkfrost asked. "If you don't hurry out of the way, you're going to make this too easy for me and no fun at all." He tried to sound confident, but he sounded exhausted.

"Ivypool, get out of the way! You're too injured! Let me do this for you!" Hazeltail cried. She sounded just as exhausted as Hawkfrost did.

"_There are two sides to a war…"_

Ivypool took a couple more pawsteps forward. Hawkfrost and Hazeltail continued yelling and crying out to her, but neither cat actually moved. Perhaps everything was supposed to happen a lot faster, but it all felt extremely slow to Ivypool. Something was nagging in the back of her mind. Wherever this voice was coming from didn't matter. Why could Ivypool hear it and the other two couldn't?

"_The sun and the moon…"_

Ivypool gasped and her eyes widened.

"_Two sides…light and dark…good and evil…"_

Ivypool looked at Hazeltail and nodded to her. "Everything is going to be okay, Hazeltail," Ivypool meowed calmly.

Hazeltail's eyes widened. "How could you say such a thing?" the gray-and-white she-cat exclaimed.

"Are you insulting me? Do you dare insult me, Ivypool?" Hawkfrost snarled.

"_Unfinished business…does it only support the dark?"_

"I'm going to be okay," Ivypool repeated softly and slowly.

"How? Ivypool, move out of the way!" Hazeltail cried.

"That's it! I'm ending this!" Hawkfrost growled. He crouched down to leap at her.

"_Did you think I would leave you when you needed my help?"_

"We all decide our own fates," Ivypool meowed to Hawkfrost, turning to face him. "I'm not alone. StarClan is here with me. StarClan is here with us," Ivypool added, casting a quick glance at Hazeltail.

"Says who?" Hazeltail asked.

"We can see the sun and the moon if we look hard enough," Ivypool meowed, finally stepping out of the way between Hazeltail and Hawkfrost as she talked. "There should be no light in the Dark Forest."

"Then how…?" Hazeltail broke off as Hawkfrost leaped at her.

"Shut up, you stupid she-cat! You're ruining everything!" Hawkfrost cried as he began ripping at Hazeltail's pelt. Hazeltail clawed at his belly in return.

_No! Please, help me StarClan!_ Ivypool tried to move, but something was holding her down. She felt as if she weighed the weight of a thousand trees. She couldn't move at all. She felt like she was frozen to the ground. The injury to her back was too much to bear. Her legs weren't reacting as quickly as they were supposed to. Everything was still in slow motion.

"Ivypool, I am here." Suddenly a tortoiseshell she-cat appeared in front of her. Ivypool gasped as she recognized the coat from many stories she had heard. She also recognized this cat from the war. She had given her afterlife to save Firestar from Tigerstar, but Firestar had died after killing Tigerstar again anyway.

"Spottedleaf!" Ivypool exclaimed.

Hawkfrost stopped ripping at Hazeltail's pelt and leaped off of her. Hawkfrost ran over to Spottedleaf and attacked her, but he was sent backwards by an invisible shield as he got a whisker-length away from her.

"Hawkfrost, this must end now," Spottedleaf meowed. "I was finally able to reach Ivypool. Hawkfrost, you must give in. You have taken this too far."

"This can never go far enough!" Hawkfrost snarled. "Revenge is never ending!"

"I disagree with you, my son." Ivypool gasped. She crouched down in a useless attempt to hide as she recognized the voice.

"Tigerstar!" Hawkfrost exclaimed happily. Ivypool regained herself and pushed herself back up to see the dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes standing next to his son.

"I am trying to pass on just like you, Hawkfrost, and I must become a good father to do that," Tigerstar explained. "I want revenge, too, but I had my chance and I missed it. I lost to the same cat _twice_ in a row. I never won against him. Perhaps it is my time to admit defeat. Hawkfrost, you must join me in the next stage of the afterlife. Please. Ivypool won fair and square. Stop punishing her just because she won and you lost. Have you no respect at all?"

Ivypool widened her eyes. "Spottedleaf, what happened to Tigerstar?"

"I had a bit of a talk with him," Spottedleaf explained. "He agreed to stop Hawkfrost from doing what he is doing. Tigerstar thinks that Hawkfrost has strayed from his goal, but it's good enough if it'll get both of them to leave us, isn't it?"

"Is this the real Dark Forest?" Ivypool asked.

"No," Spottedleaf replied. "We're about to leave it, too. I just have to get rid of your curse, first. You can't leave until I do."

"Really? Great!" Ivypool exclaimed. "What do I do?"

"Hawkfrost, do you accept your wrongdoings?" Spottedleaf asked.

"I'm not sure what that means…" Hawkfrost muttered. He looked like a helpless kit under Tigerstar's harsh gaze.

"Say yes," Tigerstar hissed to his son.

"Yes!" Hawkfrost meowed immediately, straightening up despite his exhaustion from his fight with Hazeltail. Hazeltail, wide-eyed, ran over to stand next to Ivypool on the opposite side from Spottedleaf. Ivypool felt a strange sense of safety and security between the two she-cats.

"Then by the rights of the stars I grant you the next stage in your afterlife," Spottedleaf meowed. "Hawkfrost, Tigerstar, your time of being remembered in the skies is over, and from now on you may enjoy the peace of nonexistence…"

Hawkfrost and Tigerstar both gasped and started looking around the clearing like young kits when their bodies started shining. Ivypool and Hazeltail both gasped when the two dark brown tabby toms suddenly faded away until there was nothing left but the blood spatters they had been standing on.

"What…just happened?" Ivypool asked in shock. "This all seems…too easy."

"What about you, Spottedleaf?" Hazeltail asked. "Are you going to the next stage as well? You died in the war."

"I have been assigned to the duty of making sure cats pass on to the next stage of the afterlife when they are ready," Spottedleaf meowed. "Sometimes they need help finding it, like Tigerstar and Hawkfrost did. Cats living in the first stage of the afterlife can start to lose their mind if they live for too long. Sometimes their bodies won't let them fade away because they still have something unsettled."

"The unfinished business!" Ivypool exclaimed.

"Yes, that's it, but…" Spottedleaf trailed off as she looked at Hazeltail. Ivypool looked at Hazeltail to realize she was struggling to stay standing. Ivypool had forgotten about her own troubles when she saw Hazeltail.

"Hazeltail!" Ivypool exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"We don't have much time," Spottedleaf meowed. "Both of you are about to die, and I'm not letting both of you die. One of you must live."

"Can both of us live?" Ivypool asked.

"I must destroy the curse Hawkfrost put on you," Spottedleaf meowed, not answering Ivypool's question. Spottedleaf touched noses with Ivypool. Ivypool felt as life all of her energy, which had felt nonexistent in the first place, was being taken away again. Ivypool opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them. Her right eye opened all the way, but her left eye only opened a little bit.

"The curse is gone, but your injuries will only go away if you get one of your nine lives," Spottedleaf meowed.

"Wh—what?" Ivypool stammered.

"You can take one of your nine lives as leader now, but we are not in the light of the stars. You are about to die, Ivypool, and ThunderClan cannot go without a leader. But we cannot get back to StarClan from here until everyone here is safe and healthy," Spottedleaf added.

"Healthy? Two of us are about to die!" Ivypool cried. "How long do we have to wait?"

"I'm sorry, but in order for you to receive a life here, a living cat must give up their life and join the ranks of StarClan," Spottedleaf meowed.

"Wh—what?" Ivypool stammered again.

"I'll do it," Hazeltail meowed. "I'm about to die, anyway. If I die, I want to die saving Ivypool."

"H—Hazeltail, I…" Before Ivypool could say anything else, Hazeltail had padded up to her. Hazeltail's face was less than a whisker-length away from Ivypool's face.

"What do I need to do, Spottedleaf?" Hazeltail asked.

"Just touch noses with her," Spottedleaf replied.

Before Ivypool could object, Hazeltail touched noses with her. Ivypool suddenly felt as if the entire world was resting on her shoulders and running through her fur. Ivypool felt an immense amount of pain, but as soon as it started it was over. Hazeltail stepped back from Ivypool. Ivypool opened her jaws to speak but her voice wouldn't come out. Ivypool felt angry. She had so many things she wanted to say to Hazeltail. She wanted to apologize, she wanted to thank her, she wanted to…

But it was too late now.

Hazeltail's body fell over as soon as she stepped back. Hazeltail's spirit then rose from the body. Hazeltail's spirit padded over to stand next to Spottedleaf.

"Ivypool, we'll meet again," Hazeltail promised. "This isn't goodbye."

"Hazeltail, I…"

"Ivypool, you may go home and rest now. Come back to the Moonpool in a couple of days to receive your other seven lives," Spottedleaf meowed.

"Wait, seven?" Ivypool exclaimed. "I thought I got nine lives!"

"You technically lost one already. Hazeltail gave up her life to give you another one, but you lost one already," Spottedleaf meowed. "You are living your second life now."

"You are living my life now," Hazeltail put in.

"You have seven more to receive, so don't lose the one you have now. And make sure you appoint a deputy before you come, just so the Clan can be put at ease," Spottedleaf added.

"Of course," Ivypool replied. "Hazeltail, you better speak to me before then!"

"I will," Hazeltail promised. "This isn't goodbye, Ivypool. Soon we will say goodbye as we stand before the stars, but not yet. I'll be seeing you soon."

"I'll see you soon, Hazeltail," Ivypool meowed. She closed her eyes. She opened them to find herself in RiverClan territory next to Cinderheart, who was still watching her with worried eyes.

"Ivypool, you're awake!" Cinderheart exclaimed. "I didn't want to move you. What happened?"

"I finally understand what all of you understood so long ago," Ivypool meowed slowly. She tried to get to her paws and struggled, so Cinderheart helped her up.

"What would that be?" Cinderheart asked.

"My curse is gone," Ivypool meowed happily.

"How?" Cinderheart asked.

"Spottedleaf," Ivypool replied. Her happiness quickly faded as she remembered who else she had lost.

_Hazeltail…I think I understand what love is now. We need to talk. I have some things to say to you, so talk to me soon in my dreams, will you?_

Ivypool looked up into the sky.

_I finally understand what you think of me. I finally see you the same way you see me, so please let me see you one more time. Hazeltail, I…_

Ivypool stopped mid-thought and turned to Cinderheart.

"Come on, Cinderheart. Let's go back to the Gathering and end the nonsensical fighting. Hawkfrost and Tigerstar are gone. Let's get everyone home. We need to talk," Ivypool added.

"About what?" Cinderheart asked.

"It's a surprise," Ivypool replied. She padded away from Cinderheart. Each pawstep still hurt, but she wanted to prove she could do it herself.

_I've got a few ideas…I feel so free now. Hazeltail, thank you for this life. I promise not to waste it._

* * *

**Wasn't that a bit touching? I don't know if it was hard for you to read or not, but I know it was hard for me to write when I originally wrote it, and it was definitely hard for me to read just now when I was editing it.**

**I feel like the whole "unfinished business" idea came out of nowhere, um... Sorry about that... Is it just me, or does the solution to Ivypool's curse almost feel...unappetizing? I want to know what everybody thinks about this...**

**Anyways, um, I hope nobody gets too mad at me for killing Hazeltail. Geez, it's not like I've killed a lot of important characters already or anything...**

**Alright, that's a long enough AN for today. I'll try to get the next chapter and epilogue up in the next couple of days. Now that we've passed the climax I don't want to take too long to get everything else settled away. That just seems pointless.**

**Look forward to the next chapter!**

**~Icy**


	14. Chapter 13

**Okay, I've just got a few quick notes and then I'll let everybody get to the chapter.**

**One: **Last chapter Ivypool was seeing how Hazeltail viewed the world (as a cat does when they receive a life from a StarClan cat) at the same time she finally admitted to herself that she loved Hazeltail. That's how the title of the chapter fit in with the chapter.

**Two:** I know there was a bit of unrealistic-ness last chapter with Tigerstar being OOC and Hawkfrost not being able to harm Spottedleaf. Just…go along with it. Please? Thanks! J

**Three:** Kudos to anyone who knew where the title of this chapter came from. Giving credit where it belongs, the song "The Time Has Come (Pikachu's Goodbye) was used in the very first season of the Pokemon anime.

**Alright, that's it for now. I hope everyone has enjoyed the story! Without further ado, here's the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The Time Has Come (Ivypool's Goodbye)**

* * *

"Ivypool, can I come in?" Ivypool recognized the voice.

"Sure. Come on in," she replied. She lay in her nest. She had been stuck in camp for a quarter-moon now. She told Leafpool she needed to get her nine lives, but Leafpool had insisted she wait until her injuries would allow her to travel. She had wanted to name the new deputy as well, but Leafpool told her to wait until she was absolutely ready. The Clan wasn't worried about it. Leafpool had told them StarClan allowed it. Ivypool had spent the quarter-moon catching up on her long-lost sleep from the war and from the curse.

She wished that Leafpool were the cat coming into her den, but it wasn't. It was Toadstep.

"Hi, Toadstep," Ivypool meowed. She sat up in her nest. It still felt awkward being in the leader's den all alone. It was almost comforting to have Toadstep in there. "Do you have something to report?"

"Well, um…we haven't talked since the Gathering a quarter-moon ago, and I feel like…there were some things unsaid," Toadstep meowed slowly.

"Yeah. That's one way of putting it," Ivypool meowed. "You're right. We need to talk. The truth is, I…"

"Leafpool told us about the curse Hawkfrost put on you," Toadstep meowed. "I'm really sorry for what happened. I know you didn't kill Spiderleg, and I know that Rosepetal didn't kill Spiderleg. I'm sorry for killing my sister, but Leafpool promised me that Rosepetal has forgiven me from StarClan. I just hope that you'll forgive me for killing her as well."

"Of course," Ivypool replied.

"I know that Hawkfrost killed Spiderleg. It doesn't make any sense that he only took over your body that one time, though…" Toadstep trailed off.

"That's what Hawkfrost does," Ivypool meowed nostalgically. "He confuses you to distract you and then he attacks from the side."

"Oh. Well…I know you didn't do it, but I still feel like I should say that I forgive you for killing him. I know you didn't do it!" Toadstep immediately added. "But it's just…"

"Thank you," Ivypool meowed. "I understand. Thank you for forgiving me."

"I hate to remind you of this, but…the other Clans want to know what happened to their warriors," Toadstep meowed. "They don't know about the curse. The border patrols are coming back to camp rather unhappy."

"Who has been assigning the patrols while I'm in here?" Ivypool asked curiously. "Leafpool won't let me leave this den, aside from going to the dirtplace tunnel, of course, until she's absolutely sure my injuries have healed."

"I've been assigning them, but Cinderheart has been helping me," Toadstep replied. "I know she's a queen, but she's been really helpful."

"I'm glad to hear it," Ivypool meowed. "We keep changing the subject, though. There's something I want to tell you…"

"You want to talk about the curse, don't you?" Toadstep asked.

"Yeah," Ivypool replied.

"Well, I'll be honest. I had a crush on you before Hawkfrost put the curse on you. The curse just amplified it," Toadstep meowed.

"But I…" Ivypool trailed off. "The cat that I loved more…"

"Hazeltail," Toadstep meowed.

"Yeah," Ivypool meowed slowly. "How did you know?"

"Leafpool also told us you were grieving for all of the cats you killed in self defense. I put two and two together. I know Hazeltail saved your life. I saw the way she looked at you at the Gathering," Toadstep meowed. "I think everyone else has figured it out for the most part, as well," he added. "Now that I think about it, I think Leafpool actually mentioned her name at one point..."

"Oh," Ivypool meowed. "Well, what I wanted to say is that Hazeltail is dead now. Even though the curse is gone, I…"

"It was just a crush," Toadstep interrupted her. "But it's gone now."

"Oh, okay," Ivypool meowed slowly.

"I love someone else now," Toadstep meowed. "I love them. It's not just a crush."

Ivypool didn't know what to say. _Even though I understand what love means, I'm still so awkward about it…_

"Blossomfall is expecting my kits," Toadstep meowed.

"C—congratulations," Ivypool meowed as she searched for the right words.

Toadstep dipped his head. "I'll be leaving, then." He turned around and began to exit the den, but Ivypool stopped him.

"Hey Toadstep," Ivypool meowed.

"Yeah?" Toadstep didn't turn back around.

"I'm sorry for distracting you from the cat you really love," Ivypool meowed.

"Apology accepted," Toadstep meowed. He exited the den before Ivypool could say anything else.

Ivypool sighed and lay back down in her nest. _I thought it wasn't just the curse…_ She closed her eyes as she thought.

"You almost sound disappointed." Ivypool snapped her eyes open as she recognized the voice.

"Hazeltail!" she exclaimed happily. She ran forward to greet her friend.

"Well?" Hazeltail asked.

"Well what?" Ivypool asked.

"Are you disappointed?" Hazeltail asked.

"I don't know…I guess," Ivypool replied. "I don't want to think about Toadstep, though. He's already moved on to Blossomfall. What is this feeling? I feel so sad when I think about it."

"Heartbreak," Hazeltail replied.

"Well, whatever it is, I don't want to think about it anymore," Ivypool meowed. "I just want to think about you. I miss you so much, Hazeltail…"

"I know," Hazeltail meowed kindly and softly. "I miss you, too. I may be able to see you, but I wish I could speak with you more often."

"I've wanted to speak to you," Ivypool meowed. "We haven't spoken since the Gathering. I wanted to tell you that…I forgive you. I'm so sorry I exiled you! I wasn't thinking properly! I should have never done that…"

"Don't worry about it," Hazeltail meowed.

"No, I need to," Ivypool insisted. "I was wrong. You were right. You had every right to kill those cats. Thank you for saving me over and over again."

"I love you," Hazeltail reminded her.

Ivypool closed her eyes. "I've been neglecting to say this for a while, but…I love you, too, Hazeltail," Ivypool meowed. She opened her eyes to find herself staring into Hazeltail's kind gaze.

Hazeltail purred in reply. Hazeltail twined her tail with Ivypool's tail. They sat there for what felt like forever and enjoyed the peaceful bliss.

"Oh yeah, Hazeltail, I meant to ask about the cats in StarClan…have they forgiven me for killing them? All of the ones that died because of me?" Ivypool asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course they do!" Hazeltail replied.

"What about Foxleap? Has he forgiven you?" Ivypool asked. "Does he still love you?"

"He has forgiven me, but he no longer loves me," Hazeltail replied. "He still doesn't even acknowledge the fact that he has kits."

"I'm sorry," Ivypool meowed.

"What are you apologizing for?" Hazeltail asked. "You shouldn't apologize. It's not your fault. Besides, it's fine."

"It is?"

"Of course! We still have each other, don't we?" Hazeltail reminded her softly.

"Of course," Ivypool replied softly. "Hazeltail, I promise to take care of your kits. Nothing will ever happen to them as long as I am alive."

"Thank you," Hazeltail meowed.

"No, not your kits," Ivypool corrected herself. "_Our_ kits. I'm going to treat them as if they are my own."

"Really?" Hazeltail asked.

"If you were still alive I would still help look after them," Ivypool promised in reply.

"Thank you," Hazeltail whispered. Her eyes shone with sadness. "Ivypool, you have to go," she added suddenly.

"What? Why?" Ivypool exclaimed.

"Leafpool is ready to check up on you. I honestly wasn't supposed to come see you, but Spottedleaf helped me get here in your dreams," Hazeltail confessed.

Ivypool purred in amusement. "Well, in that case, thank you for coming to visit me."

"Of course!" Hazeltail exclaimed.

"I'll see you again soon, won't I?" Ivypool asked.

"Possibly," Hazeltail replied. "It depends on whether I follow the rules of StarClan or not."

"Well if that's the case, then I say forget about the rules," Ivypool meowed.

"I don't know. I have been a bit of a rule breaker lately…I need to rid of my bad habit…" Hazeltail trailed off.

"Alright, alright," Ivypool meowed. She paused a moment before continuing. "I'll be seeing you soon," Ivypool purred.

"See you around, Ivypool," Hazeltail meowed.

"See you around, Hazeltail," Ivypool replied. They shared one last glance before Ivypool closed her eyes. She opened them to find she was back in the leader's den.

"Ivypool, can I come in?" Leafpool asked.

"Yes," Ivypool replied. _Hazeltail, thank you for visiting me…_

* * *

**Skipping a boring meeting with Leafpool…**

* * *

"Leafpool has finally deemed me ready for Clan duty again, so it is time for me to appoint a deputy," Ivypool began. She was standing on the highledge. "However, I know you have been told about recent events. The truth is that I want to step down from my deputy position. I want to take care of Graykit, Dovekit, and Firekit myself," Ivypool confessed.

"No way!" Amberpaw exclaimed.

"Seriously?" Mothkit cried out.

"What?" Cherryfrost gasped.

"I won't allow it." Ivypool was surprised by Icecloud's meow. The entire clearing quieted down when everyone heard the white she-cat's voice.

"What do you mean 'you won't allow it?'" Ivypool asked surprisedly.

"You're our leader now, Ivypool," Icecloud meowed. "You proved you were worthy for many moons before the war. Now you can show us how you're ready. I won't let you waste your talents by stepping down for someone else to become leader. _I'll_ take care of Hazeltail's kits for you."

"B—but…"

"Leafpool told us how much you cherished Hazeltail and I respect that. But you must be our leader. You can still visit the kits, but you need to be leader, not a queen," Icecloud meowed. "My kits didn't get to live. I didn't get to take care of my kits. Please, let me take care of Hazeltail's kits," Icecloud added.

Ivypool nodded slowly. "Thank you, Icecloud," she meowed softly.

"Of course," Icecloud replied.

Ivypool stood up taller. "I accept my role as leader. Therefore, in the spirits of Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, it is time for me to appoint a new deputy. Cinderheart shall be the new deputy of ThunderClan."

"Wh—what?" Cinderheart exclaimed. "What about my kits? They're only four moons old!"

"Daisy and I can take care of them," Icecloud offered. "I think you'd make a great deputy."

"Cinderheart! Cinderheart!" Mothkit and Robinkit started yowling their mother's name. Soon enough the rest of the Clan joined them.

"Cinderheart! Cinderheart!"

When the clearing finally quieted down, Cinderheart meowed, "If such is the case, then I accept the offer. Thank you, Ivypool. I never expected to have this honor."

The Clan meeting was brought to an end and Ivypool leaped down from the highledge. She padded over to Cinderheart. She stretched her legs as Cinderheart meowed, "Why did you pick me, Ivypool? It's not because I was your mentor, is it?"

"You have had more experience than any of us," Ivypool replied. "Even though Cinderpelt's knowledge of herbs is gone in StarClan, you still have the wisdom she left you. Even without her wisdom you would be a great deputy. You are kind to everyone and respectful towards them, and they respect you in return. Why shouldn't you be deputy?"

"Why me, though? I never expected such…"

"The unexpected happens more often than the expected, doesn't it?" Ivypool asked. "Sometimes it doesn't work out in your favor, but this time it did, didn't it?"

"I guess it did," Cinderheart purred.

"Alright, then. Look after the Clan while I'm gone to get my nine lives, will you?" Ivypool asked.

"Of course," Cinderheart replied.

"Ivypool, you ready?" Leafpool asked, running over.

"Yeah," Ivypool replied. "I was about to ask you the same thing, so I'm glad you're ready."

"Let's go, then," Leafpool meowed.

"Agreed. Let's go," Ivypool added. "Take care, Cinderheart."

"Come back safely!" Cinderheart meowed.

* * *

**Skipping the boring trek to the Moonpool…**

* * *

_Hazeltail, I'm here,_ Ivypool thought as she climbed down to the Moonpool, quickly following Leafpool's pawsteps.

"Ivypool, are you ready for this?" Leafpool asked her. "You're still young, but I don't doubt your abilities. I believe that you will make a great leader."

"Thank you, Leafpool," Ivypool meowed. "I am ready for this."

"Just drink from the Moonpool, then," Leafpool meowed. Ivypool nodded. Leafpool then went ahead and bent down to take a drink from the Moonpool. Leafpool then curled up next to the edge of the Moonpool to receive her dreams from StarClan.

Ivypool bent her head down to take a drink from the Moonpool. She lifted her head and looked up at the stars in the sky. _Starclan save me…I hope I really am ready for this. Don't let me fail you._

Ivypool felt a slight worry, but she felt a strange sense of calmness as she lay down next to the Moonpool. As she waited for her dreams, she couldn't help but think,

_I am so screwed…_

* * *

**Dead Like Me quote! I didn't like the movie very much, but I sure loved the ending of it...**

**Now, putting Dead Like Me aside and returning to the Warriors fanfic fandom...**

**This chapter brought some much needed fluff and happiness for Ivypool after a lot of angst and suffering. Well, yeah, there was the whole heartbreak over losing Toadstep after realizing she actually did love him, but she soon reunited with Hazeltail and forgot about him pretty quickly. So all and all, this chapter was kind of a relief for Ivypool after all the pain she has been through.**

**Okay, now to the awkward part, um... I'm pretty sure I said something in the beginning of the story about Ivypool's asexuality reflecting my own asexuality. Well, let me assure you that this story has not reflected my own life. For one thing, I haven't been in a war nor have I had any curses put on me (as far as I know of...). Secondly, I am still as asexual as it gets. Ivypool somehow moved from being asexual to bisexual in this story, but I have remained the same. Not that anybody cared, but I just felt like I needed to point that out...**

**Alright! Next up is the epilogue! It's set a couple of seasons after this chapter. I think it should appease everyone's need for Ivypool's happy ending after all of the pain she's been through. Look forward to it! Thanks for reading!**

**~Icy**


	15. Epilogue

**Okay, there's a few things I'd like to say before we begin the epilogue of this story. First of all, I'm so proud of myself. I've actually finished a story from start to finish! A story of good quality! I'm really happy. And sad, of course. I'm sad because this story is over. I'm going to miss it. Thanks to everybody who has stayed with me the whole time! I hope everybody who has read it the whole time has enjoyed it. I hope no one was/is disappointed by the ending. Of course, I'm always open to thoughts about the ending and suggestions for my writing in the future that can help me along in becoming a better writer.**

**I know I've had this thing where almost every chapter is named after a song. Well, the epilogue doesn't have a title besides "Epilogue," but if it did I would choose "Tongue Tied," which is a really good song by "Grouplove." The atmosphere that the song sets is one similar to the light atmosphere set by this epilogue.**

**Well, without further ado, I'll let you guys get to the Epilogue. You've deserved it.**

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

A silver-and-white tabby she-cat stretched her legs before getting up. She grabbed the bones from the sparrow she had been eating and properly buried them. She then got to her paws and pondered over what to do next. All of the patrols had already gone and come back. It was sunset now, almost moonrise. She padded over to the nursery.

"Hi, Ivystar!" a dark ginger she-kit with green eyes greeted her.

"Well hello, Squirrelkit!" Ivystar replied kindly to the young kit.

"What about me?" a brown-and-cream tom kit asked, blinking his green eyes at Ivystar.

"Hello to you, too, Branchkit," Ivystar purred in reply.

"Yay! Ivystar said hello to us!" Squirrelkit and Branchkit called out happily. The two kits ran happily over to their mother and bounced around at her feet.

"Hello, Seedtail. Having fun with these two?" Ivystar asked.

The pale ginger queen purred in reply. "Have you seen Maroonkit lately? I feel like I never see her anymore…"

"Right here!" a dark brown she-kit with amber eyes ran over to them. "Sorry, I was in Leafpool's den again."

"Did you have fun in there?" Seedtail asked. "You better have behaved yourself."

"She was very helpful, actually," Leafpool meowed, walking over much slower than Maroonkit had ran. Moleheart was next to her. "Maroonkit says she wants to be my apprentice. I came here to tell you that I would be very honored to have her as my apprentice."

"That's so awesome, Maroonkit!" Squirrelkit cried.

"When I get my first battle scars you can help me so they don't get infected," Branchkit boasted.

Maroonkit purred in amusement. "Sure, sure."

"Are you sure you wouldn't be kept in camp because you wouldn't be any help out in battle?" Squirrelkit teased.

"Hey!" Branchkit cried. The tom kit immediately leaped at his sister.

"Maroonkit, thanks for helping get the thorn out of my paw," Moleheart meowed to his daughter.

"It was awesome!" Maroonkit replied with a wide grin.

"Hey, quiet down! Some of us are trying to get some sleep, you know!" Cherryfrost's meow came from inside the nursery.

Ivystar purred in amusement before padding inside the nursery. She found Cherryfrost curled up in her nest with her two kits bouncing around her. Amberwillow was trying to rest in the nest next to Cherryfrost, but was unsuccessful because of the noisy kits.

"Dewkit, Berrykit, why don't you come outside and play with Maroonkit, Squirrelkit, and Branchkit?" Ivystar suggested.

"Hi, Ivystar!" the gray tom kit with white paws and blue eyes cried. He immediately ran over. "Berrykit, it's Ivystar!"

"Really? Ivystar came in _here_? To visit _us_? Awesome!" the ginger-and-cream she-kit with amber eyes replied, running over and skidding to a halt next to her brother.

"Let Cherryfrost and Amberwillow rest," Ivystar ordered them. "You can go outside and play, but leave the resting queens alone."

"Yes ma'am!" Dewkit and Berrykit replied monotonously. They looked at each other before bursting out of the den. Ivystar sighed as she turned back to the two queens.

"Dewkit and Berrykit sure have been under every cat's paws lately," Ivystar commented, trying to hide her amusement.

"Thank you for helping, Ivystar," Cherryfrost meowed. "I haven't slept well lately because they keep keeping me awake."

"Ever since Daisy died of greencough it has been a lot harder taking care of the kits," Amberwillow agreed. The gray she-cat's belly was round and huge with the kits that she was expecting.

"Snowstorm has tried helping me, but Dewkit and Berrykit are such a pawful!" Cherryfrost exclaimed.

"Robinflight has tried helping as well," Amberwillow put in.

"Dewkit and Berrykit aren't much younger than Maroonkit, Squirrelkit, and Branchkit. Maybe a moon, but probably less. Maybe I'll make them apprentices at the same time to get them out from under your paws sooner," Ivystar suggested.

"That's a nice idea," Cherryfrost purred.

"Thanks for stopping by, Ivystar," Amberwillow meowed. "I know you're busy."

"Especially since your kits' warrior ceremonies are coming up soon," Cherryfrost put in. "Have you come up with good names for them?"

"I've put a lot of thought and time into it," Ivystar admitted, "and I think they're going to like the names I give them."

"Good," Cherryfrost meowed. "Bramblestar did a pretty good job with my name."

"I love the name you gave me," Amberwillow admitted. "My brother's name is pretty good, too."

"Well, speaking of names, it's almost time for their ceremony," Ivystar meowed. "I'd better go."

"Thanks for stopping by!" Amberwillow and Cherryfrost meowed. Ivystar nodded in farewell before exiting the den.

On her way to the highledge she stopped and greeted Mothblaze and Robinflight. As she climbed up the highledge she recalled how Robinflight had been a kind apprentice to Moleheart while Mothblaze had been a pawful for Cherryfrost. _Poor Cherryfrost,_ Ivystar couldn't help but think. _As soon as she finished mentoring Mothblaze, who was such a pawful, she had to start taking care of her kits, Dewkit and Berrykit, who are even more of a pawful. It's a good thing she has a high level of patience…_

Ivystar stood up on the highledge and looked across the clearing. She would often sit up on the highledge and observe the Clan. She purred in amusement as she watched Hazelpaw, Mudpaw, and Rosepaw play-fight by the apprentices' den. They had only been apprentices for a couple of moons. Blossomfall and Toadstep tried to scold their kits but ended up being dragged into the fight. Ivystar didn't even bother trying to hide her amusement as she watched the fight. As Ivystar watched the fight she realized just how much Rosepaw looked like her mother. Rosepaw was a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with green eyes. Mudpaw was a brown-and-black tabby she-cat with amber eyes. Hazelpaw… Ivystar blinked. Hazelpaw was named after Hazeltail, who looked just like her. Hazelpaw was a gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes. Ivystar purred as she thought of Hazeltail, the cat who she loved. Ivystar decided it was time to save Blossomfall and Toadstep.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!" Ivystar called out. She patiently waited as everyone gathered around. Brackenfur, who had recently joined the elders' den, helped Purdy out of the den. Cherryfrost helped Amberwillow, whose belly was so large she could barely walk, out of the nursery. Hazelpaw, Mudpaw, and Rosepaw immediately stopped fighting, much to their parents' relief. Leafpool and Maroonkit padded out of the medicine cat den, each cat with a ball of moss in their jaws. Mothblaze and Robinflight greeted Snowstorm as he padded out from the warriors' den. Cloudtail, his father, followed right behind him. Brightheart greeted them before padding to the front of the clearing and sitting down next to Cinderheart. Graypaw, Dovepaw, and Firepaw sat next to them.

"I, Ivystar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these three apprentices," Ivystar began. "They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Cinderheart, is Graypaw ready to become a warrior?"

"Ready as ever," Cinderheart replied.

"Brightheart, is Dovepaw ready to become a warrior?" Ivystar asked.

"Absolutely," Brightheart replied.

"And I believe that Firepaw is ready to become a warrior," Ivystar meowed with confidence. She had chosen to mentor Firepaw, Hazeltail's third kit, herself, rather than letting anyone else mentor her. Ivystar could have mentored one of Cinderheart's kits, but she chose to wait and mentor one of Hazeltail's kits instead.

"Graypaw, Dovepaw, Firepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Ivystar asked.

"I do," Graypaw replied.

"I do," Dovepaw replied.

"I do," Firepaw replied.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names in return," Ivystar meowed. "Graypaw, from now on you shall be known as Graysparrow. StarClan honors you for your loyalty and determination. Dovepaw, from now on you shall be known as Doveflight. StarClan honors you for your courage and intelligence. Firepaw, from now on you shall be known as Fireblaze. StarClan honors you for your bravery and thoughtfulness." Ivystar then leaped down and rested her muzzle of each of the new warriors' heads. They each licked her shoulder in return. Ivystar then stepped away from them.

"Graysparrow! Doveflight! Fireblaze! Graysparrow! Doveflight! Fireblaze!" The Clan called out their new names.

"Graysparrow, Doveflight, and Fireblaze shall sit vigil tonight once it is moonhigh," Ivystar meowed before concluding the ceremony. "It's only moonrise now, so you have a few minutes to talk to your friends if you want."

"We also get to talk to our family!" Graysparrow reminded her.

"And our mentors!" Fireblaze put in. "Thanks for everything, Ivystar!"

"You are the best mother a cat could ask for!" Doveflight boasted.

"Thank you so much," Ivystar meowed. "You three are the best kits a mother could ask for."

"We're not kits anymore, though," Doveflight meowed.

"That's right. We're warriors now! Thanks to you!" Graysparrow put in.

"Thank you so much, Ivystar!" Fireblaze meowed. "I know Hazeltail and Foxleap are our birth parents, but _you_ are the cat that taught us everything you know. _You_ are the one that visited us even during the busy leaf-bare days when half the Clan had greencough. _You _are the one that has taken care of us for the past twelve moons. _You_ are our true mother."

Ivystar purred. "Thank you so much Fireblaze, Graysparrow, Doveflight…" Ivystar trailed off as she was lost for words.

Fireblaze purred. "I guess it's about time for our vigil, then."

"We'd better start getting silent," Doveflight agreed.

"See you tomorrow morning, Ivystar," Graysparrow added.

"See you tomorrow morning," Ivystar purred in reply. She nodded before padding away and letting everyone else congratulate them. She climbed up to the leader's den but stood outside and watched the Clan as they congratulated her and Hazeltail's kits.

_Hazeltail, can you hear me?_ Ivystar thought as she lifted her gaze to the bright starry sky above her. _Can you see our kits? They're warriors now. I'm so proud of them, and I know you are too. Even though they can take care of themselves now, I will always protect them. I love them as much as I love you, and I will give all of my nine lives to save their lives and see you again. I love you, Hazeltail._

* * *

**Aww, what a nice ending. Even I, who often despise romance, found that to be a touching ending.**

**So…I hope you've enjoyed it! I'm sad to say it's over, but I'm almost glad it is. It wasn't too short of a story and it wasn't too long of a story. I've enjoyed the story just writing it. Hell, I've even enjoyed being part of the audience as I read it to proofread it! I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have!**

**If you enjoyed this story then you probably enjoy stories that are dark and angst-y. Well, I'm going to start writing another story soon that is just as dark as this one. It's going to be called "Zero Two." It's going to be about Cinderheart and Cinderpelt. I don't want to spoil any of it, so that's all I'll say for now.**

**I'm sad to say goodbye, but this story really is over now. I hope you've enjoyed it!**

**Goodbye! Good luck at life! Nah, that's a boring way to say goodbye to people I may never talk to again. Let me think of something better than that... Ah, there we go.**

**May StarClan light your path!**

**~Icy**


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